We value the time of our patients and clients and have refined our process to be as streamlined as possible without diminishing the quality of patient care.

Since 1996, Carolina Speech Pathology has offered onsite swallowing evaluations. Most of our providers have at least 20 years of experience, allowing us to serve as a FEES resource for others in the industry.

Our seasoned team, clinical proficiency, and patient-centric approach result in a quality experience for both patients and clients.

We are a debt-free company, which means we are a financially stable partner who can provide excellent care for many years to come.

Currently, we partner with healthcare facilities in the following states. We are always looking to expand our service area, so please contact us if your business is outside of these areas.

Coverage Area

Alabama
Washington, D.C.
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Maryland
Michigan
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
West Virginia

Alabama
Washington, D.C.
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Maryland
Michigan
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
West Virginia

Frequently Asked Questions

Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES®) is a well established technique that has revolutionized the field of dysphagia diagnostics. FEES® is a sensitive, accurate, portable, and safe examination that yields clinically useful information relative to swallowing physiology and swallowing safety. The procedure involves passing a flexible endoscope across the floor of a patient’s nasal passage into the pharynx so that the larynx, pharynx and upper esophageal opening are viewed directly from above. Then the patient is administered food or liquids mixed with food coloring in order to determine safe swallowing function and integrity. FEES® can be done at the patient’s bedside, in an office, intensive care unit or in a long-term care facility in under 20 minutes with regular food and liquids. Since there is absolutely no radiation administered, the studies are able to be sustained for longer time intervals, allowing the clinicians the ability to tell if a patient’s swallowing technique is impacted by fatigue.

Susan Langmore, Ph.D., and colleagues coined the term FEES® in 1986 and published the first data demonstrating the effectiveness of the procedure in 1988. It is also known by a few other names such as “video endoscopic evaluation of dysphagia” and “bedside endoscopic swallowing test”. Typically this procedure falls within the scope of practice of speech-language pathology.

The Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBSS), also known as video-fluoroscopic swallow study, is a common, older procedure for the assessment of dysphagia. It is performed in the video-fluoroscopy suite in a hospital involving a radiologist, a radiology technologist and a speech-language pathologist. The patient must be seated in an upright position and fed barium coated food while being x-rayed. The MBSS study is time limited in order to reduce radiation exposure for the patient. The time limitation doesn’t allow for impact of fatigue on a patient’s ability to swallow effectively. Food and liquid consistencies are simulated through the use of liquid barium and barium pastes.

FEES® has repeatedly demonstrated a sensitivity equal to or greater than MBSS in determining whether a patient is exhibiting penetration, aspiration, delay in swallowing initiation and pharyngeal residue. Additionally, FEES® provides visualizations of pharyngeal secretions that cannot be detected during MBSS.

  • No need to coordinate time with radiology department schedule
  • No radiation exposure with FEES®
  • No unpleasant barium-tainted food and no barium-associated constipation for patients
  • No waiting to be cleared from isolation precautions
  • FEES® can be used with patients on mechanical ventilation
  • Normal food is given to patients
  • FEES® can be performed while a patient is sitting upright or in bed
  • FEES® can be performed easily on morbidly obese patients
  • FEES® can be given to medically complex patients who otherwise would not tolerate a trip to radiology
  • Physician does not have to be present during a FEES® study
  • FEES® is displayed and recorded in High Definition digital color
  • The use of the term “gold standard” as applied to MBSS is no longer appropriate
  • Real time visualization and recording allows for documenting functional and structural details
  • There may be cost advantages associated with FEES® for management of dysphagia