ABSTRACT Objectives To determine whether the thickness of swallowing‐related muscles measured by ultrasonography (US) differs according to dysphagia status in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to identify muscle‐specific associations between US measurements and swallowing symptoms. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, 66 children with CP aged 2–18 years were evaluated at a tertiary outpatient rehabilitation clinic. B‐mode US was used to measure the thickness of swallowing‐related muscles. Symptom‐defined dysphagia was defined as a Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool‐10 (Pedi‐EAT‐10) score of ≥ 4. Muscle thicknesses were compared between children with and without dysphagia. Associations between individual Pedi‐EAT‐10 items and muscle thickness measurements were explored using Spearman correlation and univariate linear regression analyses. Results Of the 66 children, 27 (40.9%) met the criteria for dysphagia. US‐measured muscle thickness did not differ significantly between children with and without dysphagia for the masseter (0.66 ± 0.12 vs. 0.68 ± 0.10 cm; p = 0.520), genioglossus (0.69 ± 0.15 vs. 0.64 ± 0.13 cm; p = 0.166), geniohyoid (0.60 ± 0.14 vs. 0.64 ± 0.13 cm; p = 0.208), anterior digastric (0.50 ± 0.12 vs. 0.50 ± 0.12 cm; p = 0.887), or mylohyoid muscles (0.15 ± 0.03 vs. 0.15 ± 0.05 cm; p = 0.959). Symptom‐level analyses demonstrated inverse associations between selected swallowing complaints and specific muscle measurements, with the strongest association observed between “coughs while eating” and genioglossus thickness. Conclusions Although swallowing‐related muscle thickness did not differ between children with CP with and without dysphagia, US measurements were associated with specific caregiver‐reported swallowing complaints. These findings suggest that US may provide complementary, symptom‐oriented information in the clinical assessment of swallowing difficulties in children with CP.
Akaltun et al. (Fri,) studied this question.