Correlation between brain injury and dysphagia in adult patients with stroke.

Introduction:  In the literature, the incidence of oropharyngeal dysphagia in patients with cerebrovascular accident (AVE) ranges 20-90%. Some studies correlate the location of a stroke with dysphagia, while others do not.

Objective:  To correlate brain injury with dysphagia in patients with stroke in relation to the type and location of stroke.

Method:  A prospective study conducted at the Hospital de Clinicas with 30 stroke patients: 18 women and 12 men. All patients underwent clinical evaluation and swallowing nasolaryngofibroscopy (FEES(®)), and were divided based on the location of the injury: cerebral cortex, cerebellar cortex, subcortical areas, and type: hemorrhagic or transient ischemic.

Results:  Of the 30 patients, 18 had ischemic stroke, 10 had hemorrhagic stroke, and 2 had transient stroke. Regarding the location, 10 lesions were in the cerebral cortex, 3 were in the cerebral and cerebellar cortices, 3 were in the cerebral cortex and subcortical areas, and 3 were in the cerebral and cerebellar cortices and subcortical areas. Cerebral cortex and subcortical area ischemic strokes predominated in the clinical evaluation of dysphagia. In FEES(®), decreased laryngeal sensitivity persisted following cerebral cortex and ischemic strokes. Waste in the pharyngeal recesses associated with epiglottic valleculae predominated in the piriform cortex in all lesion areas and in ischemic stroke. A patient with damage to the cerebral and cerebellar cortices from an ischemic stroke exhibited laryngeal penetration and tracheal aspiration of liquid and honey.

Conclusion:  Dysphagia was prevalent when a lesion was located in the cerebral cortex and was of the ischemic type.