Reduced tongue pressure against the hard palate on the paralyzed side during swallowing predicts Dysphagia in patients with acute stroke.
OBJECTIVE
Dysphagia is important for prognosis in patients with stroke because this condition can cause aspiration pneumonia or nutritional deficits. The present study investigated the relationship between tongue motor deficits and dysphagia in patients with acute stroke.


METHODS
Maximal tongue pressure on the hard palate when swallowing 5 mL of water was measured using a T-shaped sensor sheet with 5 measuring points in 33 dysphagic and 31 nondysphagic patients with acute stroke. Maximum tongue pressures at each measuring point were compared between dysphagic and nondysphagic groups and between paralyzed and nonparalyzed sides.


RESULTS
Tongue pressure at each measuring point was significantly smaller in dysphagic patients than in nondysphagic patients with the largest significant difference on the paralyzed side. The magnitude of tongue pressure to predict dysphagia was calculated as 4.6 kPa on the paralyzed side, offering 71.4% sensitivity and 72.3% specificity.


CONCLUSIONS
Reduced tongue pressure on the paralyzed side may predict dysphagia in patients with acute stroke.
Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan.
Nobuko
N
Hirota
Kuni
K
Konaka
Takahiro
T
Ono
Kenichi
K
Tamine
Jugo
J
Kondo
Kazuhiro
K
Hori
Yoko
Y
Yoshimuta
Yoshinobu
Y
Maeda
Saburo
S
Sakoda
Hiroaki
H
Naritomi
D000368:Aged; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010159:Palate / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010291:Paresis / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011312:Pressure; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000503:physiopathology*