Dysphagia in patients with cerebral stroke during early inpatient rehabilitation
: Early inpatient rehabilitation is a basis of functional state improvement in patients with cerebral stroke (CS) but poststroke complications may have negative influence on the rehabilitation results. The article addresses the influence of dysphagia on the efficacy of early inpatient stroke rehabilitation that has been studied during rehabilitation of CS patients in the Rehabilitation Clinic of Kaunas Medical University in of 2000-2005. Dysphagia was observed in 31.5% of complicated CS patients or in 21.6% of all cases studied. The efficacy of rehabilitation in these patients was lower. At the completion of the early rehabilitation dysphagia persisted in 1.6% of patients with stroke. We conclude that dysphagia in CS patients is important but correctable complication at an early stage of in-patient rehabilitation.