Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of facial palsy after stroke (FPS) in order to enhance the understanding of FPS. Methods Patients with stroke and admitted to hospital from March to June 2015 were selected in this study. They were evaluated by Modified House-Braekmann (MHBN), Barthel Index (BI), National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Standardized Swallowing Assessment and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) within 48 hours after admitting. According to the MHBN scores, the patients were divided into FPS group and non-FPS group, and the incidences of dysphagia and depression, and the scores of BI, NIHSS, and PHQ-9 were compared between the two group. Six months later, the patients’ prognosis of stroke was assessed by the Modified Rankin Scale. Results A total of 129 patients were enrolled in this study, including 81 (62.8%) with FPS, and 48 (37.2%) without FPS. The incidences of dysphagia and depression in the FPS group (64.2%, 59.3%) were higher than those in the non-FPS group (22.9%, 18.8%), and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The BI, NIHSS, PHQ-9 scores in the FPS group were 41.79±14.19, 11.23±4.62, 11.54±3.43, respectively, while the scores in the non-FPS group were 66.39±19.96, 7.54±3.69, 7.67±2.89, respectively; the differences in the scores between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). Six months later, the patients’ prognosis in the non-FPS group was better than that in the FPS group (67.4%vs. 32.9%, P<0.001). Conclusions There is a high incidence of FPS, and there are high incidences of dysphagia and depression in the FPS patients with stroke. FPS influences the patients’ prognosis, so the understanding and treatment of FPS should be enhanced.
ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training compared with simple rehabilitation training or acupuncture treatment of dysphagia after stroke, and make clear whether the effect of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training is better than simple rehabilitation training or acupuncture treatment.MethodsSix databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Chongqing VIP, PubMed, Cochrance Library, and Embase were searched by computer for the randomized controlled trials on acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training treatment of post-stroke dysphagia, which were published from January 1st, 2010 to December 31st, 2018. After literature including, excluding, and screening, RevMan 5.3 software was used to conduct a meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 22 studies were included, including 1 987 patients. All the included studies took simple rehabilitation training or rehabilitation training combined with sham acupuncture as the control. Meta-analysis of efficiency and outcome measures for relevant studies showed that: compared with simple rehabilitation training, the effectiveness of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training on post-stroke dysphagia was higher [17 studies included; odds ratio=3.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) (2.66, 5.05), P<0.000 01], the video fluoroscopy swallowing study score of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training after treatment was higher [8 studies included; mean difference (MD)=2.31, 95%CI (1.75, 2.87), P<0.000 01], and the StandardizedSwallowing Assessment score of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training after treatment was lower [6 studies included; MD=−3.20, 95%CI (−3.78, −2.61), P<0.000 01]; at the same time the Watian Drinking Water Test score of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training after treatment was lower [6 studies included; MD=−0.65, 95%CI (−0.91, −0.39), P<0.000 01].ConclusionsAcupuncture combined with rehabilitation training is effective in dysphagia after stroke, and the combined effect is better than simple rehabilitation training. However, due to the limitations of quality of included literature and sample size, the above results and conclusions still require high quality and large sample studies to testify.
Objective To explore the clinical effect of occipital-cervical fusion and its impact on cervical curvature, and preliminarily study the causes of postoperative dysphagia. Methods The data of 24 patients who underwent occipito-cervical fusion in the Fourth People’s Hospital of Zigong between January 2014 and December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, including 13 males and 11 females, aged 33-82 years, with an average age of (58.3±13.3) years. Among them, there were 14 cases of atlas fractures, 6 cases of atlantoaxial fractures, 1 case of intraspinal canal space-occupying lesion, 2 cases of chronic atlantoaxial dislocation with spinal cord compression, and 1 case of instability caused by inflammatory diseases. Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score were used to evaluate neurological function and pain of patients preoperatively and postoperatively. Occipito-cervical angle (O-C2) and lower cervical angle (C2-C7) were measured to evaluate the preoperative and postoperative angle changes in patients. The causes of postoperative dysphagia were analyzed. Results All the 24 patients were followed up for 8-50 months (26.3 months on average). The mean JOA score increased from 11.6±1.5 before surgery to 15.4±1.2 at the last follow-up, and the mean VAS score decreased from 6.4±1.1 before surgery to 2.0±0.6 at the last follow-up; the differences between the two time points were statistically significant (P<0.001). The bone graft fusion rate was 95.8% (23/24). The mean O-C2 angle decreased from (16.5±7.6)° before surgery to (14.7±4.5)° at the last follow-up, with no statistical significance (P=0.395). The mean angle of C2-C7 increased from (9.4±5.5)° before surgery to (16.3±3.5)° at the last follow-up, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Two patients developed postoperative dysphagia, possibly due to fusion in a flexion position. Conclusion Occipito-cervical fusion has reliable efficacy in treating occipito-cervical instability, with a high fusion rate and a low incidence of complications, but it will change the physiological curvature of upper and lower cervical vertebra, and fusion in a flexion position may cause postoperative dysphagia.
With the aging of the population, the incidence of stroke is increasing year by year. More than 50% of stroke patients have post-stroke dysphagia, which not only increases the risk of complications such as aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition and dehydration, but also is associated with poor prognosis and increasing mortality. Due to its high morbidity and high risk of complications, the European Stroke Organization and the European Society for Dysphagia have launched the guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of post-stroke dysphagia (2021 Edition). This guideline mainly raises questions about the screening, assessment, and treatment of post-stroke dysphagia, and answers them based on evidence-based medical evidences. This article mainly interprets this in order to better guide clinical practice.