The effect of swallowing rehabilitation on quality of life of the dysphagic patients with cortical ischemic stroke.

Swallowing and swallowing-related quality of life studies following stroke were almost always performed by including both patients with brainstem and cortical involvement. It was aimed in this study to show the presence of dysphagia in patients with only cortical ischemic stroke and to investigate the interaction between dysphagia and quality of life as well as to evaluate the effect of a rehabilitation program in the acute phase. Seventy-two patients with cortical stroke (between 0 and 30 days) and dysphagia were included.