Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in a Paediatric Patient with Oesophageal Atresia and Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula

Abstract

This study is aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in dysphagia symptoms and aspiration risk. This is a clinical case report on a 40-day-old infant with a diagnosis of oesophageal atresia and tracheo-oesophageal fistula. The patient received one OMT every 15 days for 7 times. The clinical outcome was the clinical changes in dysphagia symptoms assessed by the Paediatric Eating Assessment Tool-10 (PEDI-EAT-10). At the first osteopathic evaluation (T0), the total score of the PEDI-EAT-10 was 7, at the fourth osteopathic evaluation (T1), the total score was 3, and at the seventh osteopathic evaluation (T2), the total score was 1. OMT was effective and safe in reducing dysphagia symptoms and aspiration risk.

Keywords

• Osteopathic manipulative treatment
• Oesophageal atresia
• Tracheo-oesophageal fistula
• Paediatric Eating Assessment Tool-10
• Deglutition disorders