Disfagia e sua relação com a lesão encefálica em crianças com paralisia cerebral

Abstract

A study of dysphagia and it’s relation to brain injury in children with cerebral palsy. The objective is to understand the relationship between cerebral palsy and swallowing, considering dysphagia severity, age, swallowing phases, the motor function classification of cerebral palsy, the location of the lesion and presence of seizures. This is a retrospective observational study performed at peroral endoscopy sector of Hospital de Clinicas/UFPR, between May/2009 and August/2012. It was analyzed the records of 50 children with diagnosis of cerebral palsy, 23 females, 27 males, aged between 0 and 14 years, with an average of 2.22 years and a standard deviation of 2.81; with videofluoroscopic swallowing study and CT and/or MRI tests, with or without seizures. It was observed occurrence of dysphagia in 82% of children with cerebral palsy, with a higher occurrence of mild oral dysphagia, for all consistencies. It was found a higher prevalence of mild oral dysphagia in children with spastic quadriplegia (47,22%) and atetosic (70%). The presence of cerebral palsy, independently of its classification, was significant to the presence of oropharyngeal dysphagia in these children. The presence of cortical or subcortical brain damage was significant for the presence of dysphagia and tracheal aspiration in this population. Significant relationship was found between the presence of oropharyngeal dysphagia and seizures in this study.