What is Functional Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing?
FEES is a very specialized type of swallowing study offered at only a few Childrens Hospitals in the country. It involves passing a soft spaghetti-like scope through the child’s nose while awake. We can then visualize the voice box area and assess for vocal cord motion and sensation around the voice box area. The child is then fed and we can directly see what happens to the food as it enters the mouth until it travels to the upper part of the esophagus.
We perform the study with a pediatric speech therapist. The study is video taped for complete review and analysis. The study provides some different and some complimentary information to the video swallow examination.
Call Pediatric Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists of Illinois for more information or to schedule an appointment.