Case Study of Aspiration during Swallowing in a Patient Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Authors: Mingwen Yu, Wei Huang, Jun Tang, Ping Wan* and Chunlei Shan*

DOI: 10.23880/ooaj-16000158

Volume 2, Issue 2

Abstract

Object: To explore the cause of aspiration during swallowing in a patient with traumatic brain injury and examine various rehabilitation treatment mechanisms. Materials and methods: A 47-year old male patient with traumatic brain injury, severe dysphagia, and nasal feeding demonstrated multiple causes of aspiration during swallowing by videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) and fiber optic endosopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). Based on the results, a two-stage therapeutic strategy was employed: (1) cold balloon dilatation and vocal fold closure exercise; (2) the chin-down posture and vocal fold addition exercise. The oral transit time (OTT), pharyngeal transit time (PTT), initiation of laryngeal closure (ILC), and laryngeal closure duration (LCD) were noted. Data of both pre- and post- therapy from this case were analyzed by single subject A-B-C criterionalteration design. Results: After the first stage of the therapy, compared with pre-therapy, OTT and PTT significantly increased (p

Keywords: Traumatic Brain Injury; Aspiration during swallowing; Ice balloon dilatation; Chin-down; VFSS; FEES

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