Velocity of swallowed gel food in the pharynx by ultrasonic method

Abstract

Velocity spectrum of swallowed food particles in the pharynx were measured by the ultrasonic pulse Doppler method. Water, yogurt, jelly of gelatin and gellan of which concentration was changed were tested. The velocity distribution that passed just above the epiglottis of the pharynx was obtained. The velocity spectrum of water that dysphagia patients often aspirate to the trachea was compared with that of yogurt which rarely aspirated by them. The average velocity of all food samples tested was almost 0.1 m/s; the maximum velocity of water was 0.5 m/s and that of yogurt was 0.2 m/s. In other words, velocity distribution of water particles was fairly wide compared with that of yogurt; this would make difficult for dysphagia patients to swallow water and relatively easy to swallow yogurt. Velocity spectra of thin sols were similar to that of water, but the maximum velocity was smaller as concentration of jelly increased. Dynamic viscoelasticity was measured and the relation to the maximum velocity measured by the ultrasonic method was examined. The maximum velocity of gels whose storage modulus was 100 Pa or more, or viscosity was 2 Pa·s or more was almost 0.2 m/s similar to that of yogurt. These results showed that risk of aspiration to the trachea of foods was inferred from dynamic viscoelasticity.