When is noninvasive therapy appropriate, and when should feeding tubes be used in certain patient populations?
Search Strategy: We used broad-based literature searching to ensure that we found all relevant information. Thus, we searched 23 electronic databases, including MEDLINE® and Embase. Search terms included those relevant to the disorder, diagnostics, epidemiology, etiology, and treatment of dysphagia. Search dates depended on the database, but ranged from 1945 to July 1998. We also searched 23 World Wide Web sites, conducted hand searches of article bibliographies, and sought published and unpublished information from experts in the field. Selection Criteria: We adopted broad criteria to ensure retrieval of all relevant information. Articles were retrieved if they were clinical studies of any design containing information derived from 10 or more patients. Two researchers independently requested articles. Disputes were resolved in favor of obtaining the article. Data Collection and Analysis: Data from clinical trials on diagnostic test performance and/or patient outcomes were entered dire
