TIMS University Webinar
Sharpening Your View of Swallowing Recovery After ACDF Surgery
June 26, 2025 at 8:00PM EST | 0.1 ASHA CEUS / 1 PDH
Course Instructor
Brynn Jones-Rastelli, M.S., M.Phil., CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CBIS
Brynn Jones-Rastelli, M.S., M.Phil., CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CBIS is a medical speech language pathologist who specializes in improving health outcomes and quality of life when normal swallowing is disrupted by disease or injury. She has extensive clinical experience serving individuals of all ages with communication and swallowing impairments related to neurologic disease, injury, and trauma across the continuum of care. Brynn is currently a PhD candidate in the Swallowing Research Lab at New York University, where her research focuses on the effects of spine surgery on the aerodigestive mechanism and factors influencing recovery.
Disclosures
Financial: Employed by the NYU Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders as an adjunct professor, by the NYU Langone Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery as a research coordinator, and by the Mount Sinai Health System as a speech language pathologist. Receives financial support for doctoral studies through the NYU Professor Phyllis Tureen Fellowship Award, the NYU Steinhardt PhD Fellow Scholarship, and the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders PhD Scholarship. Received an honorarium from TIMS University for this talk.
Non-Financial: Affiliate of the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. Member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and of the Dysphagia Research Society.
Course Information
Description
Sharpening Your View of Swallowing Recovery After ACDF Surgery will provide an in-depth understanding of aerodigestive injury and subsequent recovery following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) surgery. The session will explore the mechanisms of injury to the swallowing infrastructure during and after ACDF, and how these impacts may manifest clinically and on diagnostic imaging. Throughout this discussion, case examples and imaging illustrations will demonstrate the varied presentations of typical and complicated recovery patterns. A key component of this talk will involve practical methods and brief tutorials for using analysis software to enhance the objective interpretation of videofluoroscopic/modified barium swallow studies to track recovery outcomes.
Learning Outcomes
Identify the mechanisms underlying swallowing impairments and dysphagia symptoms after ACDF surgery.
Describe the post-surgical aerodigestive recovery continuum in the context of patient-specific factors.
Apply new techniques to enhance their analysis and interpretation of diagnostic imaging specific to the ACDF population.
Agenda
8:00 - 8:10: Introduction to ACDF - why and how it's performed
8:11 - 8:25: Mechanisms of aerodigestive injury and how they may manifest on imaging
8:26 - 8:35: "Typical" recovery in primary elective surgical cases
8:36 - 8:50: Complicated recovery and role of imaging in identifying problems and tracking resolution
8:51 - 9:00: Questions & Discussion
Satisfactory Course Completion Requirements
To successfully complete the course, participants must attend the entire live event and submit the post-course survey.
