[Multidisciplinary approach to the patient with oropharyngeal dysphagia]

The Dysphagia Study Group of the Regional Hospital of Treviso uses a multidisciplinary approach to assess patients with oro-pharyngeal dysphagia. From 1996 to 2000, 208 patients with functional dysphagia were studied by the Group. Dysphagia was due to neurological disease in more than 50% of patients, to surgery in 25% and to a functional disease in 17%. In patients less than 20 years old the aetiology was due to the aftermath of traumas; in patients aged from 20 to 45 years the cause was a functional disease or achalasia, while in the majority of the older patients, aged over 45, had cerebral ischaemic lesions. The majority of patients (78%) were submitted to rehabilitation, 9.5% to medical treatment and 2.8% to surgery. Oro-pharyngeal dysphagia calls for a multidisciplinary approach in qualified centers with specialized facilities.