Abstract
To facilitate rehabilitation in patients with dysphagia due to diffuse brain damage, we devised methods, to trigger mastication effectively. REPORT OF CASES: A 50-year-old man with late carbon monoxide intoxication presented with severe parkinsonism. When food was inserted into the mouth, he held it there and swallowing was not observed. He showed compulsive environment-driven responses, such as manipulating and sniffing at available objects purposelessly. Taking advantage of these primitive responses, we put his hand onto food that required mastication. This procedure provoked chewing and mastication. The improvement in his buccolinguofacial movements was combined with an improvement in pharyngeal transit time. A 30-year-old man had brain damage to multiple systems, including the basal ganglia due to complications from a hypophyseal tumor. He could not close his mouth and dysphagia was observed. Closing the mouth slowly with a teeth sprint and chin cap. We trained him to swallow by putting a piece of food between the upper and lower back teeth, which stimulated buccolinguofacial movement. Our results emphasize that patient-tailored care is important for the rehabilitation of dysphagia.
