title: Clinical and scintigraphic swallowing evaluation of post-stroke patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  deglutition of post-stroke patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to study the swallowing of post-stroke patients through clinical and scintigraphic evaluations.
  
  
  METHODS
  participants were 26 patients, who had suffered their first stroke within the last two months. The control group was composed by 15 healthy volunteers. Both groups were submitted to a clinical and scintigraphic evaluation of swallowing; using 5 ml of liquid (water) and 5 ml of paste bolus. Clinical evaluation was composed by an interview, an assessment of the oral structures (without food) and by a functional assessment (with food).
  
  
  RESULTS
  during the clinical evaluation, one individual of the control group presented inefficient larynx elevation and clinical signs of aspiration. As for the group of post-stroke patients, 27% presented inefficient prepare of the liquid bolus and 42% presented inefficient prepare of the paste bolus, in the oral phase. Considering the pharyngeal phase, 12% presented cough and choked. In the scintigraphy evaluation, three post-stroke patients were excluded from this analysis for the following reasons: two did not swallow during the exam acquisition time and one swallowed before the instruction given by the researcher. The group of post-stroke patients presented more oral residues and shorter pharyngeal transit with the paste bolus when compared to the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  clinical and objective swallowing evaluations of post-stroke patients are necessary and important to determine therapy intervention and possible outcomes. Patients who have suffered stroke have more residues and shorter pharyngeal transit than healthy individuals. The scintigraphic method should be used more often as a research instrument to quantify the residue, transit time and clearance in each of the swallowing phases.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Oftalmologia, Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Uiversidade de São Paulo, Brazil. anacristinaviana@usp.br
authors.forename: Ana Cristina Viana da
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Roberto Oliveira
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.forename: Soraia Ramos Cabette
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Fabio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010614:Pharynx / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D053120:Respiratory Aspiration / Q000175:diagnosis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D020521:Stroke / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors