Aspiration: Should It Be Tested or Treated?

Investigators from multiple institutions in Osaka, Japan, conducted a retrospective study to assess the relationship between food aspiration and/or saliva aspiration and pneumonia in children and young adults with severe motor disturbances and/or developmental delay. Patients who were receiving care for dysphagia at the Osaka Developmental Rehabilitation Center, Osaka, Japan, were enrolled in the study. Chest CT was performed to detect signs of aspiration pneumonia in study participants. CT scans were evaluated by 2 of the authors who used a standardized method to classify specific radiographic signs of aspiration pneumonia, including parenchymal bands, bronchiolectasis, bronchial wall thickening, bronchiectasis, atelectasis, tree-in-bud pattern, intraluminal airway debris, fibrosis, and air trapping. If any of these findings were present, the patient was classified as having pneumonia. Within 1 week of CT, study participants underwent fiberoptic …