Radiology - Videofluoroscopy

What is a videofluoroscopy?

It is a moving xray of your swallow that is recorded. It is not necessary for you to be nil by mouth in preparation for this procedure; unless a doctor or speech and language therapist has advised you to do so.

Why do I need to have this xray?

A speech and language therapist (SLT) has assessed your swallow and made recommendations. A videofluoroscopy helps by giving more information about your swallow and will allow the team looking after you to:

• Ensure you are swallowing safely, i.e. food/drink is going into your stomach and not down your windpipe into or near your lungs
• See which consistencies of food/drink are easiest for you to manage
• See if special positioning or swallowing strategies can help. You will be asked to swallow small amounts of food/drink with an added powder, called barium

What is barium?

Barium is a radio-opaque material, so it allows the food/drink to show up on the xray. The Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) can therefore see exactly where the food is going.

Who will be present?

• Speech and Language Therapist
• Radiographer

How long will it take?

The procedure takes between 15 and 30 minutes.

What happens after the videofluoroscopy?

You will be given some brief information about what the xray showed immediately after the procedure. Your recording will then be analysed by the team and the results will be discussed with you at your next appointment.

Staff education

Occasionally the images are used for educational purposes. This is an important part of training. You will be asked at the time of procedure if you would be happy to allow your images to be used for educational purposes. If you do not wish to have your images used, please inform your speech and language therapist.

Your speech and language therapist is:-

If you need to, please contact the relevant Speech and Language Department on:

Fairfield General Hospital – 0161 918 8570
Royal Oldham Hospital – 0161 627 8971