Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 10 million people worldwide. Swallowing problems are common and aspiration pneumonia is the leading cause of death in this population. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical method for managing the motor symptoms of PD when pharmacological management begins to fail. As DBS may have a deleterious effect on swallowing, it is important to identify baseline dysfunction, but no consensus regarding screening for abnormalities exists. This study was undertaken to identify the prevalence and characteristics of abnormal swallowing function prior to DBS.
