Lewy body dysphagia.
The presence of Lewy bodies (LB) in autonomic structures of the central and peripheral nervous system in Parkinson's disease (PD) is well known and could explain clinical signs of pure autonomic failure (PAF) or dysphagia, frequently associated with the disorder. There are many neuropathological reports in the literature with detailed descriptions of PAF, however, LB dysphagia has thus far only been reported once. In the present study, we describe two cases of isolated dysphagia without extrapyramidal syndrome, diagnosed clinically as progressive supranuclear palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, where detailed neuropathological examination identified LBs in the dorsal vagal motor nuclei in the medulla. These findings confirm the existence of isolated LB dysphagia and emphasize the importance of detailed neuropathological and immunohistochemical examination in cases of dysphagia.
Kövari
Enikö
E
Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, 1225, Geneva, Switzerland. eniko.kovari@hcuge.ch
Burkhardt
Karim
K
Lobrinus
Johannes Alexander
JA
Bouras
Constantin
C
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000473:pathology; D016631:Lewy Bodies / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D013494:Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / Q000473:pathology