Dysphagia
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Case Reports
Unusual manifestations of bilateral carotid artery dissection: Dysphagia and hoarseness.
Dissection of the carotid artery can occur intracranially or extracranially, although dissections tend to affect extracranial segments of the arteries much more commonly than intracranial segments. Carotid artery dissection (CAD) is most common in middle-aged women. Although not completely known, the main risk factors related to carotid artery dissection are genetic and environmental factors, traumatic events, cervical manipulation, migraine, recent infections, hyperhomocysteinemia, and hereditary connective tissue disorders. ⋯ Prolonged hoarseness is usually due to using the voice either too much, too loudly, or improperly over an extended period of time. Disorders leading to dysphagia may affect the oral, pharyngeal, or esophageal phases of swallowing. In this study we report on a patient with bilateral CAD who presented to our clinic with dysphagia and hoarseness.
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Aspiration pneumonia is a leading cause of illness and death in persons who reside in long-term-care facilities and, combined with the lack of proper oral health care and services, the risk of aspiration pneumonia rises. The purpose of this article is to review recent literature on oral hygiene and oral care in long-term-care facilities and report new findings regarding associated risks for aspiration pneumonia, as well as research on oral care and health outcomes. The PubMed MeSH database was utilized to direct a specific search by entering terms "aspiration pneumonia" and "oral hygiene" from 1970 to 2009, which yielded 34 articles. ⋯ A manual search of references from other articles, including three systematic reviews published over the past decade, provided additional information regarding oral microorganisms and respiratory pathogens, as well as investigations of oral care. Finally, a brief but comprehensive introductory review was organized regarding oral microorganisms, biofilm, periodontal disease, and pneumonia to establish a framework for discussion. Overall, studies suggest (1) an association between poor oral hygiene and respiratory pathogens, (2) a decrease in the incidence of respiratory complications when patients are provided chemical or mechanical interventions for improved oral care, (3) the complex nature of periodontal disease and aspiration pneumonia make direct connections between the two challenging, and (4) additional studies are warranted to determine adequate oral hygiene protocols for nursing home patients to further reduce the incidence of aspiration pneumonia.
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Oropharyngeal dysphagia is frequent in stroke patients and increases mortality, mainly because of pulmonary complications. We hypothesized that sensitive transcutaneous electrical stimulation applied submentally during swallowing could help rehabilitate post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia by improving cortical sensory motor circuits. Eleven patients were recruited for the study (5 females, 68 ± 11 years). ⋯ In addition, oropharyngeal transit time, pharyngeal transit time, laryngeal closure duration, and cortical pharyngeal muscle mapping after the task had not changed. These results indicated that sensitive submental electrical stimulations during swallowing tasks could help to rehabilitate post-stroke swallowing dysphagia by improving swallowing coordination. Plasticity of the sensory swallowing cortex is suspected.
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Aluminium phosphide ingestion is the most common agricultural poisoning in suburban and rural India and with a high mortality rate. Among survivors of acute poisoning there are recent sporadic reports of esophageal complications such as esophageal strictures and tracheo-esophageal fistula. The present study was carried out to determine the incidence, natural history, and treatment outcome of local esophageal complications in survivors of aluminium phosphide poisoning with complaints of dysphagia. ⋯ Hence, we conclude that all survivors of aluminium phosphide poisoning must undergo barium swallow and endoscopic examination for early detection of esophageal complications. Prevention of esophageal complications after aluminium phosphide ingestion needs to be given adequate attention because tracheo-esophageal fistula and esophageal stricture are associated with high morbidity. When one finds esophageal stricture or fistula, the possibility of aluminium phosphide ingestion should always be considered.