Early fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallow in transoral robotic surgery: Description of swallow function and recovery in the acute postoperative period for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Early FEES demonstrates a significant decline in swallowing function, including increased secretion load, pharyngeal residue, laryngeal penetration, and aspiration. Silent aspiration occurred in 14% and thus highlights the necessity for instrumental assessment to ascertain aspiration risk.