Feasibility of high-resolution manometry for decision of feeding methods in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

As amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progresses, dysphagia gets worse due to the weakening of pharyngeal musculature. As oral feeding becomes more difficult or dangerous due to worsening dysphagia, tracheal aspiration, or undernutrition, the necessity for tube feeding becomes increasingly important. This study aims to establish a standard pressure point by applying pharyngeal pressure using high-resolution manometry (HRM) to start tube feeding in patients with ALS. This study was designed as a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. Forty-one patients with ALS and 20 healthy subjects were participated. Both groups were evaluated using HRM, videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), and pulmonary function test. The swallowing pressure along the velopharynx (VP), tongue base (TB), pre-upper esophageal sphincter (UES), lower pharynx, and cricopharyngeus, as well as minimal UES pressure were measured using HRM. There was significantly positive correlation between the pressure of cricopharyngeus and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). And there were significant correlations between results of VFSS and FEV1, FEV1%, forced vital capacity (FVC), and FVC%. There was a significant difference in the pressure of TB and cricopharyngeus between the control group and the ALS patient group. The pressures of VP, TB, lower pharynx, and cricopharyngeus have a significant correlation with the recommended feeding type by VFSS. Because it is possible to use HRM to quantitatively assess pharyngeal and respiratory weaknesses and it is more sensitive than other evaluation tools, the cutoff value of HRM parameters may be used to decide the feeding type in patients with ALS.