Validation of Earphone-Type Sensors for Non-Invasive and Objective Swallowing Function Assessment

Autor: Takuto Yoshimoto, Kazuhiro Taniguchi, Satoshi Kurose, Yutaka Kimura
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Sensors, Vol 22, Iss 14, p 5176 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 22145176
1424-8220
DOI: 10.3390/s22145176
Popis: Standard methods for swallowing function evaluation are videofluoroscopy (VF) and videoendoscopy, which are invasive and have test limitations. We examined the use of an earphone-type sensor to noninvasively evaluate soft palate movement in comparison with VF. Six healthy adults wore earphone sensors and swallowed barium water while being filmed by VF. A light-emitting diode at the sensor tip irradiated infrared light into the ear canal, and a phototransistor received the reflected light to detect changes in ear canal movement, including that of the eardrum. Considering that the soft palate movement corresponded to the sensor waveform, a Bland–Altman analysis was performed on the difference in time recorded by each measurement method. The average difference between the time taken from the most downward retracted position before swallowing to the most upward position during swallowing of the soft palate in VF was −0.01 ± 0.14 s. The Bland–Altman analysis showed no fixed or proportional error. The minimal detectable change was 0.28 s. This is the first noninvasive swallowing function evaluation through the ear canal. The earphone-type sensor enabled us to measure the time from the most retracted to the most raised soft palate position during swallowing and validated this method for clinical application.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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