Short-term prognosis for speech and language in first stroke patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the factors that can influence evolution of communication after a first stroke. METHOD: Thirty-seven adult patients were evaluated for speech and language within 72 hours after a single first-ever ischemic brain injury and later on. Patients who were comatose, with decompensated systemic diseases, or history of chronic alcoholism or illicit drug use were not included. Brain CT and/or 2T-MR exams were solicited for topographic correlation. Size of infarct was classified as large or small according to the TOAST classification. RESULTS: Patients who survived had lesser chances of presenting with aphasia or dysarthria 3 months after the stroke if the infarct size was small (p=0.017). Gender, age, schooling, aphasia subtype, infarct side and topography were non-significant in our sample. Subjects with global aphasia or lone cortical dysarthria had a slower evolution. CONCLUSION: Brain injury size was the most influential factor for neurological outcome at 3 months post-stroke.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Oliveira,Fabricio F., Damasceno,Benito P.
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 2009
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2009000500013
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