Objective:　We hypothesized that the grip strength, which is regarded as an index of systemic muscle strength, and tongue pressure, which has been reported to be related to the swallowing function, reflect the strength of muscles involved in swallowing and evaluated their relationships with pharyngeal residue presence on videofluoroscopic examination of swallowing (VF) and videoendoscopic examination of swallowing (VE).

Subjects and Methods:　The subjects were 38 males with dysphagia (mean age: 80.0±9.6 years) who underwent VF/VE at our hospital.

The grip strength was measured using a Smedley handgrip dynamometer, and the tongue pressure was measured using a tongue pressure meter TPM-01 (JMS Co., Ltd.). Pharyngeal residue presence was evaluated by VF/VE after swallowing a test food, which was a puree or paste with an adjusted thickness, and was rated as present or absent according to retention of the test food at the epiglottic vallecula and piriform recess.

The mean grip strength and tongue pressure were compared between those with and without a pharyngeal residue (1) in all subjects, (2) by disease (with/without brain disorders), (3) by age (＜75 / ≥ 75 years).

Results:　In all subjects, the mean grip strength and tongue pressure were 22.5±9.0 kg and 21.5±7.4 kPa. The grip strength was significantly reduced in those with a residue in the piriform recess. The grip strength and tongue pressure were significantly reduced in those with a residue in the piriform recess among those with brain disorders and those aged ≥ 75 years. Between those with and without a residue in the epiglottic vallecula, no significant difference was observed in the grip strength or tongue pressure by age or disease.

Discussion:　The grip strength and tongue pressure were correlated with a residue in the piriform recess depending on the disease and age. This suggests that the grip strength and tongue pressure reflect the strength of muscles involved in swallowing under particular conditions. We speculate that, in patients after internal or surgical treatments and elderly people with no brain disorders, aging, disease, and malnutrition lead to a general decrease in muscle strength due to sarcopenia, and that the weakness of muscles involved in swallowing is detected as a pharyngeal residue in a VF/VE swallowing study.