Context: Tracheo-bronchial aspiration is the most invalidating condition which can happen to patients affected by dysphagia, especially when caused by central neurologic disorders; the associated pneumonia episodes represent the most frequent cause of death in these patients. Oro-pharyngo-esophageal scintigraphy (OPES) allows both functional imaging and semiquantitative evaluation of the subsequent phases of swallowing.
Case report: We evaluated by means of OPES a woman who had previously undergone high-dose external beam radiation therapy for a nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which determined tissue fibrosis and progressive dysphagia.
Conclusion: In this patient with dysphagia, OPES was a simple, inexpensive, noninvasive, and reliable technique that allowed to show the presence of bolus aspiration and quantified tracheobronchial aspirate.
Keywords: Dysphagia; inhalation into tracheobronchial tree; management of aspiration; oro-pharyngo-esophageal scintigraphy.