Long-Lasting Dysphagia Developing After Thoracotomy for Pulmonary Resection: a Case Series.

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the severity and the characteristics of dysphagia using videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) in long-lasting dysphagia patients developing after thoracotomy performed for pulmonary resection. Eleven patients (10 men and 1 woman, average age 67 ± 6.6 years; the average operation time in the patients was 507 min) were selected from among patients who developed dysphagia after undergoing thoracotomy for pulmonary resection between January 2009 and December 2012. The videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale (VDS) at 1 month postoperatively was used as a representative of parameters examined by the VFSS. The score on the functional oral intake scale (FOIS) was determined to evaluate the swallowing capacity at 1 and 3 months postoperatively. Most of the patients showed improvement of FOIS score at 3 months postoperatively. The patients showed mainly pharyngeal dysfunction. In spite of preserving the swallowing reflex, abnormalities of the residue in the vallecula and pyriform sinus and penetration were relatively frequent. Perioperative factors (age, %VC, FEV1.0 %, operation time, length of ICU stay) and FOIS were investigated to determine their relationships with the VDS score. While it showed no relationship with the age, lung function, operation time, and length of ICU stay, the VDS score was found to be significantly associated with the FOIS score at 3 months postoperatively. Evaluation by VFSS after lung surgery is useful to predict the prognosis of swallowing difficulty.

Association between bone scan index and activities of daily living in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between the bone scan index (BSI) and activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Among patients with advanced NSCLC, subjects who underwent bone scintigraphy were recruited from this study. Clinical information about patients, including the Barthel Index of ADL, was extracted from their medical charts. Variables including the age, sex, BSI, presence/absence skeletal-related events (SREs), diagnostic state (initial vs. relapse), and history of use of certain medications (e.g. opiates) were evaluated as factors possibly associated with the Barthel Index. In Addition, associations between these factors, including the Barthel Index, with the overall survival were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 111 patients with bone metastases were selected. The BSI and Barthel Index of the patients were 1.59 ± 2.25 and 69.7 ± 19.6, respectively. Multivariable analysis identified age (≥70 years), a high BSI (≥1.0), and presence of SREs were as factors statistically significantly associated with lower values of the Barthel Index (<75). On the other hand, Cox proportional hazards analysis identified low values of the Barthel Index (<75), use of opiates, and male sex as significant factors associated with a shorter overall survival; the BSI was not associated with the overall survival in the patients with advanced NSCLC in this study. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a high BSI (≥1.0) is an independent predictor of poor ADL in patients with NSCLC, while showing no correlation with the overall survival.

Independent exercise for glottal incompetence to improve vocal problems and prevent aspiration pneumonia in the elderly: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of a self-controlled vocal exercise in elderly people with glottal closure insufficiency. DESIGN: Parallel-arm, individual randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Patients who visited one of 10 medical centers under the National Hospital Organization group in Japan for the first time, aged 60 years or older, complaining of aspiration or hoarseness, and endoscopically confirmed to have glottal closure insufficiency owing to vocal cord atrophy, were enrolled in this study. They were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. The patients of the intervention group were given guidance and a DVD about a self-controlled vocal exercise. The maximum phonation time which is a measure of glottal closure was evaluated, and the number of patients who developed pneumonia during the six months was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Of the 543 patients enrolled in this trial, 259 were allocated into the intervention group and 284 into the control; 60 of the intervention group and 75 of the control were not able to continue the trial. A total of 199 patients (age 73.9 ±7.25 years) in the intervention group and 209 (73.3 ±6.68 years) in the control completed the six-month trial. Intervention of the self-controlled vocal exercise extended the maximum phonation time significantly ( p < 0.001). There were two hospitalizations for pneumonia in the intervention group and 18 in the control group, representing a significant difference ( p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The self-controlled vocal exercise allowed patients to achieve vocal cord adduction and improve glottal closure insufficiency, which reduced the rate of hospitalization for pneumonia significantly. CLINICAL TRIAL: gov Identifier-UMIN000015567.

Left leg apraxia after anterior cerebral artery territory infarction: functional analysis using single-photon emission computed tomography.

Left hand apraxia is known as a unique symptom of callosal apraxia, but lower limb symptoms are rarely mentioned. We report a patient who experienced left ideomotor apraxia affecting both the upper and lower limbs after a stroke in the territory of the right anterior cerebral artery. His spontaneous gait was normal, but he was unable to move his left leg intentionally either by verbal command or by imitation. His leg symptoms gradually improved over time. We evaluated the change in cerebral blood flow in this patient using single-photon emission computed tomography. The results showed an increase in blood flow in the posterior corpus callosum; therefore, we suggested that the callosal pathway might contribute to left leg as well as left hand volitional movement.