A case of abnormal laryngopharyngeal sensation concomitant with medullary infarction treated with hangekobokuto

Abstract

An 80–year–old woman presented with sudden onset of dysarthria, neurological findings showed left lateral medullary syndrome, and head MRI demonstrated left medullary infarction, and she was admitted. Laryngoscopy revealed poor closure of the left pharyngeal cavity due to left recurrent nerve palsy, fluid retention in the left parietal fossa, impaired left laryngeal motility, and decreased perception and reflexes. One week after the onset, the patient complained general fatigue and insomnia due to suffocation caused by saliva retention in the throat at night. We prescribed hangekobokuto because we thought that abnormal sensation in the laryngopharynx was caused by retention of saliva and other secretions due to laryngeal abnormal movement. She had no insom­nia due to abnormal laryngopharyngeal sensitivities after the prescription and transferred to the rehabilitation hospital on the 14th day from the onset.