Swallowing disturbances in the corticobasal syndrome

To determine the characteristics of swallowing and speech disturbances in patients with corticobasal syndrome (CBS) compared to healthy controls, and whether a subjective swallowing questionnaire, the NIH-Speech Pathology swallowing questionnaire (NIH-SQ), can predict swallowing impairment.

Twenty-four consecutive CBS patients underwent a swallowing assessment comprised of the NIH-SQ, ultrasound swallow study (US) and modified barium swallow (MBS) study. Healthy controls (n = 28) completed the NIH-SQ and the US.

Ninety-six percent of the patients with CBS reported at least one complaint in the NIH-SQ, 59% had abnormal dry swallow duration and 10% abnormal wet swallow duration. Twenty-three patients with CBS had some abnormality on the MBS. The MBS category "piecemeal deglutition" (excessive lingual gestures causing multiple swallows required to clear a single bolus) was characteristic of CBS patients. No aspiration was detected. No NIH-SQ cutoff score or combination of subjective complaints predicted an abnormal MBS. Fifty-two percent of the patients had speech apraxia.

Swallowing and speech disturbances are common in patients with CBS and differ from those previously reported in patients with PSP syndrome. Piecemeal deglutition and speech apraxia are characteristic features of our CBS patients. Although the NIH-SQ cannot predict the results of the more objective MBS in this population, it characterizes the patients' major subjective swallowing complaints.