Little is known about dysphagia after pontine infarction. In this study, we evaluated the incidence of dysphagia after isolated pontine infarction and identified the predictive factors for the occurrence of dysphagia. A total of 146 patients were included in this study. All patients underwent clinical testing for dysphagia within 1 day after admission and at the time of discharge. We compared the incidence of dysphagia between patients with unilateral pontine infarction and those with bilateral pontine infarction. To evaluate the functional status of patients, we investigated their initial modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score and initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score within 1 day of admission. Of 146 patients, 50 (34.2%) had dysphagia initially within 1 day after admission. At the second evaluation at the time of discharge, dysphagia was diagnosed in 24 patients (16.4%). Patients with bilateral pontine infarction were more likely to present with dysphagia. In addition, clinical severity (in terms of mRS and NIHSS scores) was identified as a predictor of dysphagia in patients with cerebral infarction (multiple binary logistic regression analysis, mRS: P = 0.011, NIHSS: P = 0.004). Dysphagia frequently occurs in patients with isolated pontine infarction. Clinicians should pay particular attention to the occurrence of dysphagia, especially in patients with bilateral pontine infarction or high functional disability.
Keywords: MRS score; NIHSS score; dysphagia; infarction; pons; prediction; stroke.