Features of speech rehabilitation in various types of post-stroke dysarthria

Objective. To determine the prevalence of various types of post-stroke dysarthria and establish the relationship between speech recovery and the dysarthria type in the acute period of stroke. Material and methods. The study included 246 patients with post-stroke dysarthria; the median age was 68 (60; 77) years. Speech recovery was evaluated based on the dysarthria score change (ΔDS) on Days 12—14 from the disease onset. Patients were divided into two groups: Group I with poor recovery (ΔDS<20) and Group II with good recovery (ΔDS≥20). Results. Speech disorders included bulbar, pseudobulbar, subcortical, cerebellar, and cortical dysarthrias. Patients with pseudobulbar and subcortical dysarthrias were mainly in the ΔDS<20 group: 28 (60.9%) and 26 (70.3%) patients, respectively. Cerebellar and cortical dysarthrias were more common in the ΔDS≥20 group: 23 (74.2%) and 49 (75.4%) patients, respectively (p=0.0001). Patients with bulbar dysarthria were distributed almost equally among the groups: 35 (52.2%) patients in Group I and 32 (47.8%) in Group II. Conclusion. In patients with stroke, pseudobulbar and subcortical dysarthrias are associated with poor speech recovery, and cerebellar and cortical dysarthrias are associated with better recovery.