ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Neuro-Oncology and Neurosurgical Oncology
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1582176
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Multidisciplinary Approaches in Skull-Base Tumor ManagementView all 10 articles
Risk factors and quality of life in adults with dysphagia after posterior skull base surgery: A cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
- West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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Introduction: The study aimed to evaluate the current status of swallowing function and quality of life in patients undergoing posterior skull base surgery, identify risk factors for dysphagia, and provide evidence for early interventions. Method: Patients undergoing posterior skull base surgery were prospectively enrolled, from June 2023 to June 2024. Data collection included demographics, disease-related details, swallowing function assessment, and scores of Swallowing-Quality of Life (SWAL-QOL). The logistic regression was used to identify risk factors influencing dysphagia, while the SWAL-QOL questionnaire was used to investigate the quality of life in patients undergoing posterior skull base surgery. Results: Among the 143 patients, approximately 50% developed postoperative dysphagia. Logistic regression analysis identified a history of choking, surgical duration, and the total score of nutritional risk as independent predictors of dysphagia. The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve was 0.797 (95%CI: 0.722–0.871). The SWAL-QOL questionnaire revealed significantly lower scores across all dimensions in patients with dysphagia (P < 0.05), particularly in swallowing function, eating duration, and food selection. Conclusion: Postoperative dysphagia is prevalent after posterior skull base surgery and significantly impairs quality of life. Routine screening and proactive management of swallowing function are essential for improving clinical outcomes and enhancing swallowing-related quality of life.
Keywords: Posterior fossa tumor, Surgery, dysphagia, Quality of Life, Influencing factors
Received: 24 Feb 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Cheng, Duan, Cui and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wen-Yao Cui, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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