Abstract
Background: Dysphagia is a frequent occurrence following stroke. Various brain regions have been shown to control deglutition. However, it is still controversial as to which of the two hemispheres plays more important role in deglutition, and which injured hemisphere is more likely to cause the specific patterns of dysphagia seen in stroke patients. An accurate estimate of the incidence of dysphagia will be critical to assess benefits of dysphagia interventions.
Objective: To investigate whether patterns of dysphagia are associated with the location of brain lesion in stroke patients and to examine whether pharyngeal strengthening exercise and hyolaryngeal exercise are proper for patients, based on the findings of FEES and location of brain lesion.
Methods: The subjects were stroke outpatients who visited our clinic from January 2016 to April 2018. To localize brain lesion, Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have been employed. The locations of brain lesions were classified into cortical, subcortical, and brain stem. FEES was conducted to assess the patterns of deglutition disorders. These data were collected via retrospective chart review.
Results: Of the 11 subjects, mean age (SD) was 62.73 (8.67) years and seven (63.64%) subjects were male. All subjects got ischemic stroke, eight (72.73%) had right hemispheric lesion and three (27.27%) had left hemispheric lesion. By brain lesion, there were nine subcortical, five cortical, and four brain stem lesions. All FEES findings, especially standing secretion, penetration, residue, and reduced hypopharynx sensitivity were higher in subcortical lesion, followed by brain stem and cortical lesion successively.
Conclusion: Right hemisphere was involved more than left hemisphere in dysphagia patients. Standing secretion, penetration, residue, and reduced hypopharynx sensitivity occurs more often in subcortical lesion. Further studies on big samples in a perspective structure are needed. Based on this result, there is a place for pharyngeal strengthening exercise and hyolaryngeal complex range of motion and strengthening exercise to be implemented to the patients with neurogenic dysphagia after stroke.
THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN LOCATION OF BRAIN LESION AND FINDINGS OF FLEXIBLE ENDOSCOPIC EVALUATION OF SWALLOWING (FEES) IN STROKE PATIENTS: WHICH EXERCISE IS BENEFICIAL?
