Clinical Utility of Swallowing Provocation Test and Water Swallowing Test in Stroke Patients

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical utility of the swallowing provocation test (SPT) and water swallowing test (WST) as a predictive factor of supraglottic penetration (SP) and subglottic aspiration (SA) in stroke patient with dysphagia. METHOD: Fourty-one patients suffered from ischemic stroke with dysphagia and 20 normal controls were recruited. We performed 2-step SPT (0.4 ml, 2.0 ml) via nasopharyngeal tube and 2-step WST (10 ml, 30 ml) per oral, combined with the videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) to determine the presence of SP and SA. RESULTS: The cutoff values of the swallowing provocation latency in SPT for the detection of SP and SA were 2.45 sec, 2.75 sec (first step) and 2.25 sec, 2.34 sec (second step). For SPT, the sensitivity and specificity were 78.8%, 64.3% (first step) and 71.4%, 77.8% (second step) for the SP, and 77.8%, 76.7% (first step) and 75.0%, 66.7% (second step) for the SA. For WST, the sensitivity and specificity were 66.7%, 90.9% (first step) and 70.0%, 90.9% (second step) for the SP, and 61.1%, 56.5% (first step) and 72.2%, 60.9% (second step) for the SA. CONCLUSION: SPT was more useful for the detection of SA than WST in stroke patient with dysphagia.

The Clinical Utility of Hand Sympathetic Skin Response in Bell's Palsy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between the severity of paralysis and hand sympathetic skin response (SSR) in patients with Bell's palsy and to evaluate the clinical utility of hand SSR as a predicting factor of prognosis. METHOD: Twenty patients with Bell's palsy and twenty normal controls were recruited. The severity of paralysis was graded according to House-Brackmann Facial Grading Scale (H-B FGS), and percent degeneration of Nasalis was determined by Facial Nerve Conduction Study (FNCS). RESULTS: The difference of hand SSR amplitude between affected and unaffected side was significant (p<0.05). There was significant correlation between H-B FGS and the difference of hand SSR amplitude (p<0.05). There was significant correlation between percent degeneration and the difference of hand SSR amplitude (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between the difference of hand SSR amplitude at 5 days and percent degeneration at 9 and 14 days (p=0.026, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The difference of hand SSR amplitude between affected and unaffected side was useful for the indication of the severity of paralysis. And, hand SSR would be useful for an early prognostic predictor in Bell's palsy.

The Correlation between Peripheral Facial Neuropathy and Oropharyngeal Dysfunction

OBJECTIVE: To know the correlation between the grading of facial neuropathy by facial nerve conduction study (FNCS) and dysphagia severity by videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) in patients with acute peripheral facial palsy (PFP). METHOD: Twenty patients with acute PFP were recruited for this study. The causes of acute PFP were limited to idiopathic Bell's palsy and Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. The time interval from the onset of PFP to study of FNCS and VFSS was 10 to 14 days. The severity of PFP was graded according to House-Brackmann facial nerve grade (H-B FNG). Percent degeneration grade (PDG) was determined by FNCS. Baseline-to-peak amplitude of compound muscle action potentials in orbicularis oris muscle was used as an evaluation parameter. Oral transit time (OTT), pharyngeal transit time (PTT), pharyngeal delay time (PDT) and dysphagia limit were obtained by VFSS. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between PDG and H-B FNG. The severity of oropharyngeal dysfunction was increased as the severity of the PDG increases. Delayed OTT, delayed PDT, and/or reduced dysphagia limit were revealed as a presentation of oropharyngeal dysfunction in acute PFP. CONCLUSION: The severity of PFP and oropharyngeal dysfunction were significantly correlated. And so we think that precise evaluation and adequate management of oropharyngeal dysfunction will be needed in acute PFP patients.

Recurrent Tetraplegia in Mixed Type Neurocysticercosis: A case report

Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic disease of the central nervous system. Generally, the spinal cord involvement of neurocysticercosis is very rare. We experienced a 52-year-old female patient presented with tetraplegia. She was diagnosed as mixed type neurocysticercosis involving brain parenchyma, ventricle and cervical spinal cord. She underwent an operation of intradural mass removal with cervical laminectomy. In spite of gradual improvement in activities of daily livings, muscle power and sensation, she revealed the fluctuation of mental status and tetraplegia, possibly associated with perilesional inflammation, twice during the period of admission. So, we administered prednisolone 20 mg and albendazole 800 mg a day for a week per event and then her mental status and aggravated tetraplegia were improved. After comprehensive rehabilitation for 4 months, her ASIA impairment scale changed from ASIA C to ASIA D with the improvement of modified Bathel index, Functional independence measure and Mini-mental status examination scores.

Effect of Botulinum Toxin A on Bruxism after Brain Injury

We wanted to report three cases of bruxism who were intractable to conventional management such as dental protection or medication but responded to motor point blocks (MPB) with botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) on mastication muscles. Untreated, bruxism causes unfavorable complications of masseter hypertrophy, headache, temporomandibular joint destruction, and furthermore total dental wear and malnutrition. Our three patients had no previous history of bruxism or any neuromuscular disorder. They were presented with decreased cognitive function and severe bruxism about 6 months after brain injury. We managed the patients with MPB of BTX-A on each masseter and temporalis muscles. Bruxisms were markedly improved about 2 weeks after MPB without any complications. On follow-up 6 months after MPB, two of three patients remained free of bruxism and another patient revealed attenuated bruxism with decreased severity and frequency. Therefore, we think that MPB with BTX-A could be considered as a treatment option for severe bruxism in brain-injured patients.

Neuro-Behcet Disease with Recurrent Cerebral Infarction: A case report

Behcet disease defined as multisystemic vasculitis of unknown origin in which musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary and/or central nervous system were involved. Neurological involvement is one of the most devastating manifestation of Behcet disease. We experienced a patient who was a 42-year-old female, admitted for right hemiplegia and dysarthria with high fever and she had been diagnosed as tuberculous meningitis at first. The physical examination revealed recurrent oral and genital ulcerated lesion. The brain MRI showed multifocal infarctions in medulla, pons, midbrain, both posterior limb of internal capsule and left periventricular white matter. After 6 months, she was aggravated right hemiplegia with erythematous skin lesion. The follow-up brain MRI showed the inactivated non-enhanced multifocal lesions compared with previous findings. So we confirmed neuro-Betchet disease and started immunosuppressive therapy with steroid, but despite of intensive care she was bedridden state at discharge and expired with septic pneumonia 8 months later. We report the neuro-Behcet disease with recurrent cerebral infarction showing poor prognosis.

The Assessment of Chronic Low Back Pain by Surface Electromyography

OBJECTIVE: We studied the clinical utility of surface electromyography (SEMG) for the assessment of chronic low back pain (CLBP). METHOD: We compared electrical activity from electrodes placed on the 16 lumbar paraspinal areas between 25 CLBP patients and 25 control subjects in static neutral standing posture and dynamic flexion-reextension state. The CLBP patients and the control subjects were matched for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) to adjust for any confounding effects. We analyzed amplitudes and areas of electrical activity on lumbar paraspinal muscles in neutral standing posture and dynamic flexion-reextension state. RESULTS: In the static neutral posture, there are increased amplitudes of electrical activity in CLBP compared with controls (p<0.01). In the dynamic flexion-reextension state, area ratio of electrical acitivity during the extension state to electrical acitivity during flexion state are significantly decreased in CLBP compared with controls (p<0.01). The presence of lumbar radiculopathy or the severity of LBP is not well correlated with the electrical acitivity on SEMG. The sensitivity and the specificity of SEMG are 72% and 80% respectively. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that SEMG is a useful method for the assessment of CLBP.