Risk factors for dysphagia after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury: A retrospective study.

Objective: The pathophysiological mechanisms of dysphagia in individuals with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) are not well understood yet. Several risk factors for developing dysphagia after SCI were postulated including mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy, age, female sex, anterior surgical approach, SCI severity, and multi-level spinal fusion. This study aimed to identify risk factors for dysphagia in individuals who sustained traumatic cervical SCI.