Description

C o m p r e h e n s i v e
Management Of
Swallowing
Disorders
R L Carrau, T Murray
Singular Publishing
Group, Inc, 1999
ISBN: 1565939557

Dysphagia has a number of
causes and features that cross disciplines and as such the
most appropriate management is multidisciplinary. This
text covers the pathophysiology, assessment and
management of this complex impairment from a range of
professional perspectives, albeit with a definite
otolaryngological slant.

 

The contributors are mainly from the US and include
well respected experts in their fields. The focus is ENT,
surgical and head and neck cancer. The high points for this
text are the chapters on iatrogenic dysphagia including
medications, chemo and radiotherapy, and surgery. The
final chapters on the “special populations” of paediatrics,
critical care, the elderly and terminally ill are an excellent
addition to a dysphagia text, although they are a little
superficial. A good concluding section to many chapters is
Frequently Asked Questions” and their answers! The indexing is clear and comprehensive as are most of the
illustrations and references.

 

Weaknesses of this text are that the significant area of
oral hygiene and the crucial interplay of respiration and
swallowing are barely touched upon. The nutrition
section is also rather short. The balance is definitely in the
direction of surgical rather than non surgical intervention,
as may be suited to an ENT readership, but not of course
ref lecting their relative frequencies in clinical practice.

 

This is not the sort of book one reads from cover but is
easily dipped into for the specific area under question. The
text is good for the otolaryngologist wishing to become
aware of the breadth of dysphagia features and
management. It is also a good choice for the non
otolaryngologist wishing to expand his/her knowledge
base of ENT issues rather than for a dysphagia specialist for
whom previous texts have been more focussed.

 

In summary, this is an expensive reference text and as
such is more suited to the clinic- where it should be
readily available – rather than a ‘must have’ on every
personal bookshelf.

Paula Leslie MRCSLT
Course Leader/ Research Associate
School of Surgical and Reproductive
Sciences
The Medical School
University of Newcastle