Palatal lift prosthesis for bolus transport in a patient with dysphagia: A clinical report.
A palatal lift prosthesis (PLP) is an intraoral device that provides lift for the soft palate. The usual purpose of a PLP is to reduce nasopharyngeal reflux and the hypernasal speech caused by velopharyngeal incompetence. However, for this patient, the main purpose was to relieve a functional blockage at the oropharyngeal isthmus by suspending the soft palate. A PLP with soft and flexible lift was applied in a patient with a traumatic brain injury and dysphagia. The PLP improved oropharyngeal bolus transit time by relieving the blockage at the oropharyngeal isthmus. This type of PLP may help to improve bolus transport for patients with dysphagia.
Dentist, Division of Oral and Dental Surgery, Department of Advanced Medicine, Japanese National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan. Electronic address: tomohisa@ncgg.go.jp.
Tomohisa
T
Ohno
Chief Director, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Norimasa
N
Katagiri
Hospital Director, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hamamatsu City Rehabilitation Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Ichiro
I
Fujishima
D000328:Adult; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010160:Palate, Soft; D019736:Prostheses and Implants