Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2018 , Vol 64 , Num 2

An unusual late complication in traumatic brain injury: Persistent dysphagia due to tracheoesophageal fistula

Dilek Eker Büyükşireci 1 ,Ebru Umay 2 ,Musa Polat 1 ,Aytül Çakcı 2 ,Jale Meray 1
1 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medicine Faculty of Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
2 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Health Ankara Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
DOI : 10.5606/tftrd.2018.1547 Traumatic brain injury (TBI), which leads to cognitive, physical, emotional and behavioral deficits according to the severity of trauma, is a disability with high morbidity and mortality. In addition to primary effects of TBI, direct trauma to the face, neck, and chest also contributes to increased morbidity. Recovery in swallowing functions in TBI patients is often parallel with recovery in functional daily activities. Herein, contrary to that expectation, we present a TBI case with persistent dysphagia symptoms lasting for even 1.5 years after trauma, despite the fact that she gained independence in dailylife activities under supervision. Keywords : Dysphagia; tracheoesophageal fistula; tracheostomy cannula; traumatic brain injury