Chest CT findings in patients with dysphagia and aspiration: a systematic review

• Published in: Jornal brasileiro de pneumologia Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 313 - 318
• Main Authors: Scheeren, Betina, Gomes, Erissandra, Alves, Giordano, Marchiori, Edson, Hochhegger, Bruno
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia 01-08-2017
• Subjects: Aspiração respiratória; Deglutition Disorders - complications; Deglutition Disorders - diagnostic imaging; Humans; Pneumonia, Aspiration - diagnostic imaging; Pneumonia, Aspiration - etiology; Pulmão; RESPIRATORY SYSTEM; Review; Tomografia computadorizada por raios X; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Tomography, X-ray computed; Pulmão; Aspiração respiratória; Respiratory aspiration; Lung; Tomografia computadorizada por raios X
• ISSN: 1806-3713; 1806-3756; 1806-3756
• DOI: 10.1590/s1806-37562016000000273

The objective of this systematic review was to characterize chest CT findings in patients with dysphagia and pulmonary aspiration, identifying the characteristics and the methods used. The studies were selected from among those indexed in the Brazilian Virtual Library of Health, LILACS, Indice Bibliográfico Español de Ciencias de la Salud, Medline, Cochrane Library, SciELO, and PubMed databases. The search was carried out between June and July of 2016. Five articles were included and reviewed, all of them carried out in the last five years, published in English, and coming from different countries. The sample size in the selected studies ranged from 43 to 56 patients, with a predominance of adult and elderly subjects. The tomographic findings in patients with dysphagia-related aspiration were varied, including bronchiectasis, bronchial wall thickening, pulmonary nodules, consolidations, pleural effusion, ground-glass attenuation, atelectasis, septal thickening, fibrosis, and air trapping. Evidence suggests that chest CT findings in patients with aspiration are diverse. In this review, it was not possible to establish a consensus that could characterize a pattern of pulmonary aspiration in patients with dysphagia, further studies of the topic being needed.