Reliability of the 100 mL water swallow test in patients with head and neck cancer and healthy subjects

Jorine A Vermaire; Chris H J Terhaard; Irma M Verdonck-de Leeuw; Cornelis P J Raaijmakers; Caroline M Speksnijder

doi:10.1002/hed.26723

Reliability of the 100 mL water swallow test in patients with head and neck cancer and healthy subjects

Head Neck. 2021 Aug;43(8):2468-2476. doi: 10.1002/hed.26723. Epub 2021 May 6.

Authors

Jorine A Vermaire¹, Chris H J Terhaard¹, Irma M Verdonck-de Leeuw^{2

3}, Cornelis P J Raaijmakers¹, Caroline M Speksnijder^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Imaging Division, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
² Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁴ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Special Dental Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
⁵ Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Background: Dysphagia may occur in up to 44% of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with radiation therapy and up to 84% of patients treated with surgery. To test the extent of dysphagia, the 100 mL water swallow test (WST) was developed. In this study, reliability of the 100 mL WST was determined in patients with HNC and healthy subjects.

Methods: Thirty-three patients and 40 healthy subjects performed the WST twice on the same day. To assess reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC_2,1 ), standard error of measurement, smallest detectable change, and limits of agreement were calculated.

Results: Good to excellent correlations were found for patients with HNC (number of swallows; ICC = 0.923, duration; ICC = 0.893), and excellent correlations for healthy subjects (number of swallows; ICC = 0.950, duration; ICC = 0.916).

Conclusion: The 100 mL WST has a good to excellent reliability in patients with HNC and healthy subjects.

Keywords: 100 mL water swallow test; dysphagia; head and neck cancer; reliability; swallowing.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Deglutition Disorders* / diagnosis
Deglutition Disorders* / etiology
Head and Neck Neoplasms*
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Reproducibility of Results
Water

Substances

Water