The incidence of dysphagia was relatively high in our study population. The long-term outcome was favorable.

This study evaluated swallowing status and the factors influencing swallowing in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiation therapy. During the period from July 1995 to June 1999, this cross-sectional study used videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) to evaluate 184 NPC patients who had completed radiation therapy [113 cases had completed radiation therapy < or = 12 months prior to evaluation (acute group) and 71 cases had completed radiation therapy > 12 months prior to evaluation (chronic group)]. The numbers of patients with tumors in each of the four stages were as follows: 24 in stage I, 45 in stage II, 41 in stage III, and 74 in stage IV. Swallowing abnormalities of the acute and chronic groups were correlated with multiple variables, including gender, age, the stage of the tumor, use of either neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiosensitizer, and radiation modality. The analytical results indicated that the chronic group had a significantly higher proportion of swallowing abnormalities. Radiation modality, chemotherapy, and tumor staging were not significantly associated with swallowing dysfunction. Trend analysis revealed a progressive deterioration of most parameters of swallowing function in this group of patients. These findings indicate that swallowing function continues to deteriorate over time, even many years after radiation therapy in patients with NPC. Our results indicate that the time elapsed since radiation therapy correlates with the severity of dysphagia in NPC patients.

No abstract

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the respiratory function of spinal cord injuries The severity of the impairment is affected by the level of cord damage and is posturally dependent.

In order to survey the epidemiological characteristics of traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Hualien county, a retrospective study was conducted from January 1986 to December 1990 in four local general hospitals. During this period, 135 traumatic SCI patients were identified and 99 of them were residents of Hualien county. The estimated annual incidence of traumatic SCI in Hualien county was 56.1 per million population. As a result of injury 36 patients were tetraparetic, 33 tetraplegic, 12 paraparetic and 18 paraplegic. The male/female ratio was 4:1. The mean age of onset for male patients was 44 years, and that for female patients was 46 years. The major causes of SCI were traffic accident (61.6%) followed by accidental falls (23.3%). The average duration of hospital isation ranged from 62 days in paraparetics to 132 days in tetraplegics. Ten patients died of respiratory failure or sepsis, and the mortality rate was 10.1%.Our data revealed that traumatic SCI was prevalent in Hualien county in comparison with epidemiological studies elsewhere. The special population composition of Hualien county and the preponderance of the motorcycle as a transportation vehicle in this area might result in its unique epidemiological characteristics.