NEW DEVELOPMENT OF ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT FOR SPEECH, MASTICATION AND SWALLOING DISORDERS

1)新型吸入性肺炎检测设备：研制一种新型发光二极管（LED）诊断设备的实验研究。该系统使用9个波长为880nm的led，光源为900mA，光电二极管（PD），包括吲哚菁绿作为染料溶液。稀释20倍的吲哚菁溶液也有助于降低PD处的电强度。LED与PD结合的进一步改进将有助于开发一种新的误吸诊断工具。2)食物硬度对吞咽困难的影响为了阐明食物的质地与吞咽功能之间的关系，我们考察了被试材料硬度对吞咽困难严重程度的影响。采用琼脂与iopamidol混合制成硬度不同的4种试验材料。研究对象为24例经显像诊断为误吸或穿刺的患者。结果，最软的食物明显有最高的误吸风险，而最硬的食物肯定比其他食物更安全。这些结果表明，饮食的硬度影响吞咽困难的严重程度。根据吞咽难易程度来划分饮食，有助于吞咽困难患者更安全、满意地进食。

1) New equipment for detecting aspiration pneumoniaA experimental study was performed to develop a new diagnostic equipment with light emitted diode (LED). The new system used 9 LEDs with 880nm of wavelength, 900mA of light source and photo diode (PD), including Indocyanine green as dye solution. The Indocyanine solution diluted 20 times than usual was also useful to reduce the electric intensity at the PD. Further improvement of combination of LED and PD would enable to develop a new diagnostic aid for aspiration.2) Influence of hardness of food on dysphagiaTo clarify relationship between texture of the food and swallowing function, the influence of hardness of the test material on the severity of dysphagia was examined. Four test materials with different level of hardness were used for the study, which was made by mixture of agar and iopamidol. The subjects were 24 patients diagnosed as aspiration or penetration using videofluorography. As a result, the softest diet had significantly the highest risk of aspiration, while the hardest material had definitely safer than others. These results revealed that the hardness of diet affected the severity of dysphagia. To divide diets based on easiness of swallow would help patients with dysphagia to eat more safely and satisfactory.