SwallowFIT Study in Parkinson's Disease

The MASA score is measured using a 5-point to 10-point rating scale. The total possible score of the MASA is 200 points, and the cutoff value is 177 points. The results of the MASA are interpreted as no abnormality (≥178), mild dysphagia (168-177), moderate dysphagia (139-167), and severe dysphagia (≤138).

The MDS-UPDRS uses a 0-4 scoring system, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. Parts I-III are scored on a 0-4 scale, while Part IV uses "yes" and "no" ratings. The total score range is 0-260, with 0 representing no disability and 260 representing total disability.

The Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) scale is a grading system used to assess the progression and severity of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). It ranges from Stage 0 (no signs of disease) to Stage 5 (severe disability, wheelchair or bed bound). Stages 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 are considered early stages, while stages 3, 4, and 5 represent later, more advanced stages.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a cognitive screening tool with a maximum score of 30 points, with a score of 26 or higher generally indicating normal cognitive function. Scores between 18 and 25 may suggest mild cognitive impairment (MCI), while scores below 18 may indicate moderate to severe impairment.

The PDQ-39 is a questionnaire used to assess the impact of Parkinson's disease on quality of life. It consists of 39 questions, each rated on a 5-point scale from 0 (never) to 4 (always). Scores for the 39 questions are added to obtain a total score.

The scores for the 8 subscales (mobility, activities of daily living, emotional well-being, stigma, social support, cognition, communication, and physical discomfort) are obtained by summing the scores for the relevant questions within each subscale.

The total score and subscale scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater impact of Parkinson's disease on quality of life.

In the context of the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP), Overall Impression (OI) scoring is the most common method used to assess swallowing physiology. It involves assigning a score to each of the 17 physiological components based on the most severe impairment observed across different swallowing tasks. These scores range from 0 to 4 depending on the component, and total scores range from 0-68 with higher scores indicating greater impairment.

Spontaneous swallowing frequency (SSF) scoring refers to counting the number of times a person swallows without any specific prompting or external stimuli. It's a method used to assess swallowing function, particularly in conditions like dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), and can be a tool for screening and evaluating swallowing problems. A 5-10 minute sampling window is often used to calculate SSF.

Healthy Swallowing:

In healthy individuals, spontaneous swallowing typically occurs at a rate of 1-2 swallows per minute.

Dysphagia:

Patients with dysphagia often have a reduced SSF compared to healthy individuals.

Thresholds:

Some studies have suggested a threshold of 0.40 swallows per minute as a potential indicator of significant dysphagia.

The Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) is an 8-point scale used to assess the depth and response to airway invasion during swallowing. It helps clinicians and researchers understand the severity of swallowing dysfunction by categorizing the location of the bolus within the airway and whether it's expelled or not. The scale is used in videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) to quantify swallowing event. A score of 1 would indicate no material entered the airway while a score of 8 would indicate the most amount of material aspirated during swallowing.

Method of measuring physiologic kinematics and timing for swallowing images retrieved from modified barium swallow (MBSS). It evaluates of 8 key parameters of swallowing taken by frame analysis on open-source NIH, Image J software. Scoring of kinematic swallow movements will be evaluated using the published protocol

The Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) is a 7-point ordinal scale used to assess a patient's ability to swallow and eat safely and efficiently. Scores range from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating better swallowing function and a greater ability to participate in oral intake.

The Lingual Pressure Movement Scale, part of the AIMS (Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale), assesses the severity of tongue movements. It uses a 0-4 scale, where 0 represents no movement, 1 represents minimal movement (may be extreme normal), 2 represents mild movement, 3 represents moderate movement, and 4 represents severe movement.

The Sydney Swallow Questionnaire (SSQ) is scored by summing the individual scores for each question. It consists of 17 questions, with most questions scored on a visual analog scale (VAS), ranging from 0 to 100 mm. The total possible score is 1700. Higher scores indicate more severe swallowing difficulties.

Percentage attendance measured by number of prescribed exercise sessions completed

In patient perception of swallowing, a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is used to assess a patient's subjective experience of swallowing difficulties. Patients mark a point on a line (typically 100 mm) that represents the severity of their swallowing problem, with 0 indicating no trouble and 100 indicating a total inability to swallow.

A 5 item scale where each item is scored on a Likert scale from 0-10. Total scores range from 0-50 with a higher score indicating that the SwallowFIT program was more helpful.