Abstract
A 32-year-old male was diagnosed to have acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) after suffering a viral illness. He complained of ataxic weakness and difficulty in swallowing. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multiple areas of high intensity, mainly in the brain stem and middle cerebellar peduncle. He was admitted to the ICU because of respiratory failure. He received three courses of methylprednisolone by pulse dose intravenous administration. In parallel with the steroid therapy, dysphagia rehabilitation was performed daily. As a result, the patient's swallowing function gradually recovered. In this case, a videoen-doscopic evaluation (VE) for the clinical follow-up of swallowing, an appropriate treatment course and active swallowing rehabilitation, were together found to be useful for obtaining an early recovery.
