Prediction of restoration of swallowing function in patients with ischemic stroke and neurogenic dysphagia

Objective : to determine prognostic characteristics of the restoration of swallowing function in patients with ischemic stroke (IS) of various pathogenetic subtypes. Material and methods . The study included 110 patients (64 men and 46 women aged 44–89 years) with dysphagia in the acute period of IS. The SSS-TOAST criteria were used to diagnose the pathogenetic subtype, and the MASA scale was used to determine the presence and severity of dysphagia. To predict the probability of switching to self-feeding depending on the severity of dysphagia, a non-linear regression method was used using the least squares method. Results. Patients with cardioembolic stroke subtype were initially characterized by a greater degree of dysphagia in comparison with patients with atherothrombotic stroke subtype in groups comparable in severity (p<0.05). In the cardioembolic subtype of IS, the probability of switching patients to self-feeding on the 21st day in groups with dysphagia severity from 105 to 135 points on the MASA scale was lower than in the atherothrombotic subtype of IS (p<0.05). Conclusion. Patients with cardioembolic strokes are characterized by more severe initial dysphagia and a worse prognosis for recovery of swallowing function compared to patients with atherothrombotic strokes.