Aspiration in children with CHARGE syndrome § David R. White a,c , Barbara K. Giambra a,c , Robert J. Hopkin d , Cori L. Daines b,e , Michael J. Rutter a,b,c, * a Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA b Aerodigestive and Sleep Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA c Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cincinnati, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 2018, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039, USA d Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA e Division of Pulmonary Medicine Division, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA Received 14 January 2005; accepted 17 March 2005 International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology (2005) 69, 1205—1209 www.elsevier.com/locate/ijporl KEYWORDS CHARGE syndrome; Aspiration; Laryngomalacia; Supraglottoplasty Summary Patients with Coloboma, Heart defect, choanal Atresia, Retarded devel- opment, Genitorenal and Ear abnormalities (CHARGE) syndrome have been reported to be at high risk for aspiration and swallowing difficulties. Aspiration has been implicated as the most common cause of mortality in these patients. To date, however, aspiration and swallowing disorders in CHARGE patients have not been independently studied. Objective: To determine the prevalence of aspiration and swallowing dysfunction in children with CHARGE syndrome. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 30 children with CHARGE syndrome was performed. Results: Eighteen (60%) children had aspiration observed on video swallow study (VSS), flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), and/or had otherwise unexplained bronchiectasis noted on CTscan of the chest. Twenty-four children (80%) had evidence of abnormal swallowing such as laryngeal penetration, dyscoordination, poor bolus mobility, or pooling of secretions. Conclusion: Aspiration and swallowing dysfunction are common in children with CHARGE syndrome. Formal evaluation of swallowing function should be part of the standard otolaryngologic examination for these patients. # 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. § Presented at the Society for Ear, Nose, and Throat Advances in Children, Toronto, Canada, December 2004. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 513 636 4356; fax: +1 513 636 8133. E-mail address: mike.rutter@cchmc.org (M.J. Rutter). 0165-5876/$ — see front matter # 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2005.03.030