Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the changes of the respiratory patterns associated with swallowing in the brain-injured patients.
Method: Twenty brain-injured patients(6 bulbar lesions, 14 pseudobulbar lesions) and fifteen normal subjects were selected for this study. Each subject swallowed 5cc of water for ten times in a upright sitting position and a submental electromyography recording and respirography by pneumobelt on mid-abdomen were recorded simultaneously.
Results: 1) Most swallows occured during the late expiratory phase in both brain-injured patients and controls.
2) In brain-injured patients, the incidence of swallowing during inspiration was significantly higher than the controls(p＜0.05).
3) In brain-injured patients, the postdeglutitive inspiration was significantly higher than the controls(p＜0.05).
4) In patients with a bulbar lesion, the postdeglutitive inspiration was significantly higher than patients with a pseudobulbar lesion(p＜0.01).
5) Postdeglutitive swallowing relatively correlates with the abnormalities in clinical findings and Video Fluoroscopic Swallowing Study(VFSS) findings.
Conclusion: The respiratory patterns associated with the swallowing in brain-injured patients were different from that of the normal adults and the postdeglutitive inspiration could be the most valuable predictor of the aspiration.
