Evaluation of non-invasive swallowing test device using hetero-core fiber optic pressure sensor

Dysphagia is one of the most common diseases seen in the elderly. When older adults have difficulty swallowing, as well as a decreased quality of life, the risk of developing life-threatening diseases increases such as aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, it is important to detect the decline in swallowing function in advance and to provide rehabilitation and treatment. It is desirable that swallowing function tests can be used without medical personnel, do not require the selection of a location such as a nursing home or home, and are non-invasive. In this paper, we propose a swallowing test device using a hetero-core fiber optic pressure sensor that can detect the movement of the laryngeal prominence during swallowing from the external surface of the skin so as to avoid the risk of skin tear. Five subjects were tested for swallowing function measurement, and the results experimentally confirmed the gender and body size differences in the accuracy of the proposed test device. As a result, the swallowing test device is expected to be effective for measuring swallowing function in male subjects who can see the laryngeal prominence.