Fiberoptic/Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) initially was developed in 1986 by Susan Langmore, Ph.D., and coworkers. In 1988, the first data demonstrating the effectiveness of this procedure was published, and in 1991 the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) endorsed it. FEES is a sensitive, accurate, portable, and safe assessment that provides clinically useful information relative to swallowing anatomy and physiology to determine swallow safety and usefulness of strategies.
FEES involves passing a flexible endoscope across the floor of the nasal cavity to the back of the throat to allow viewing down upon the pharynx, larynx, upper trachea, and esophageal opening. The patient is then given food and liquid of various consistencies to self administer and swallow, allowing the Speech Language Pathologist/trained Endoscopist to evaluate anatomy and swallow function in color, naturally, and with no recording time limits.
There are many great movie recordings of the FEES procedure on You Tube. Check them out!
FEES Overview articles worth checking out:
- Langmore, SE, Scarborough, DR, Kelchner, LN, Swigert, NB, Murray, J, Reece, S, Cavanagh, T, Harrigan, LC, Scheel, R, M Gosa, MM, Rule DK. Tutorial on Clinical Practice for Use of the Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing Procedure with Adult Populations: Part 1. AJSLP 2022, 31 (1) 163-187
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https://sdx-dysphagia-experts.net/2016/06/20/the-proof-is-the-pudding-part-1/
The Proof Is In The Pudding: A Tribute to Steven Leder & His Contributions to FEES Part 1, 2, and 3 by Karen Sheffler, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S