Do disinfectant solutions during gargling reach the pharynx?

In times of COVID-19, gargling disinfectant is commonly used. Disinfectant solutions seems to decrease the infections symptoms. For disinfection, several techniques are reported. So far, there is no data about the regions in the upper airways achieved by gargled fluid. 10 Patients without any dysphagia were investigated with a high sensitivity FEES® during and after gargling of colored water.A volunteer repeated the gargling process in fast and real time MRI. In all cases, no color accumulation was detected on the posterior pharyngeal wall, epi- or hypopharynx during gargling. The MRI scans confirmed the results. With high sensitivity FEES® and fast MRI provide an insight into the gargling pattern. Data show, during gargling, the fluid covers the soft tissue in the oral cavity and the anterior part of the soft palate, but not the posterior pharyngeal wall nor the epi- and hypopharynx.

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The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.