ArticleProgress in rehabilitation medicine2026
Oral Medication Swallowing in Dysphagia: Prevalence of Penetration, Aspiration, Residue, and Epiglottic Morphology Impact-A Retrospective Study.
Article in Progress in rehabilitation medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives: Pill dysphagia, defined as difficulty swallowing oral medications, is associated with liquid penetration, aspiration, and residue. However, data on these outcomes based on videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) are limited. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of liquid penetration-aspiration and tablet residue using VFSS and identify the associated risk factors. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 93 patients with dysphagia who exhibited a Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) score of 1 while drinking moderately thickened liquids. The patients were evaluated with small, medium, or both tablet sizes based on clinical judgment. Primary endpoints were liquid penetration-aspiration (PAS ≥2) and tablet residue. We analyzed liquid penetration-aspiration risk factors using multivariable logistic regression. Because of sample imbalance for residue, we examined the association with epiglottic morphology using univariate analysis. Results: Liquid penetration-aspiration and tablet residue occurred in 33.3% and 34.4% of the patients, respectively. Multivariable logistic analysis identified that unthickened liquid [odds ratio (OR) = 4.40] and small tablet size (OR = 3.19) were significantly associated with liquid penetration-aspiration. In the univariate analysis, intermediate epiglottic morphology was significantly associated with vallecular residue. Conclusions: Even when swallowing liquids is safe, patients may experience penetration, aspiration, or residue during oral medication swallowing. Unthickened liquids were independently associated with liquid penetration-aspiration. The association between small tablets and aspiration likely reflects confounding by indication in patients requiring a more cautious swallowing approach. Although not an independent risk factor for overall residue, intermediate epiglottic morphology may specifically contribute to vallecular tablet residue.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.