MCQ Medicine Answer 15

Dysphonia, dysarthria, abnormal gag reflex, abnormal volitional cough, cough after swallow, and voice change after swallow were significantly related to aspiration and were predictors of the subset of patients with silent aspiration. The prediction of patients at risk for aspiration was significantly improved by the presence of concurrent findings of abnormal volitional cough and cough with swallow on clinical examination.

Patients likely to aspirate can be identified best by the presence of an abnormal voluntary cough, an abnormal gag reflex, or both. The prediction of patients at risk for aspiration was not improved by additional clinical information (i.e., presence of dysphonia or bilateral neurological signs).

B) is possibly marginally better answer than E) because presence of dysphonia does not improve accuracy of prediction of risk of aspiration.

Category: Internal Medicine MCQs , Medicine MCQs