Clinical & Translational Research
High Resolution Manometry
This  collaboration with Timothy McCulloch, MD, FACS explores developing and implementing this clinical tool that can detect subtle changes to swallow physiology. Swallowing is a critical life function that must be performed safely to ensure adequate nutrition and avoid airway compromise; failure can lead to life threatening complications. Complex pressures are generated during the swallow and directly measuring these pressures along with X-ray video images of the swallow can provide a great deal of information for diagnosing and treating swallowing problems. This line of research develops and tests a new method of analyzing, displaying and classifying multiple pressures and images generated during the swallow to allow physicians and speech language pathologists to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and management of swallowing disorders.
Post-treatment dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients
Common treatments (i.e. chemotherapy and radiation) for head and neck cancer can cause dysphagia, or impaired swallow function, which significantly impacts health and quality of life. While it is known these treatments can lead to dysphagia in approximately 2/3 of patients, the impacts on underlying swallow biomechanics are not well understood. Exercises engaging musculature involved in deglutition may provide benefit related to swallow function both during and after treatment. Under Dr. John Russell's grant in collaboration with Dr. Michelle Ciucci, the impacts of chemotherapy, radiation, and exercise are explored in the well-established rat model. Utilizing videofluoroscopy and a progressive-resistance tongue training paradigm, assessment of bolus kinematics, bolus area, and tongue force data can help provide meaningful insight into how treatment and exercise may impact swallow function.
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