Efficacy of thickened liquids for eliminating aspiration in head and neck cancer: a systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To appraise the current videofluoroscopic evidence on the reduction of aspiration using thickened liquids in the head and neck cancer population.

Data sources

Search terms relating to deglutition or dysphagia or swallow and neoplasms and oncology or head and neck cancer and viscosity or texture and apira or residu* were combined with honey or nectar, xerostomia, and respiratory aspiration using Boolean operators.

Review methods

A multiengine literature search identified 337 nonduplicate articles, of which 6 were judged to be relevant. These underwent detailed review for study quality and qualitative synthesis.

Results

The articles reviewed in detail predominantly described heterogeneous study samples with small sample sizes, making for difficult inter

SUBMITTER: Barbon CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4321780 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature