Case Report: fNIRS-guided rehabilitation in refractory post-traumatic dysphagia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Dysphagia is a common complication of severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) and may persist despite standard treatment. For refractory cases, there appear to be no more effective therapeutic options available.

Case information

A 15-year-old boy continued to suffer from severe dysphagia nine months after severe traumatic brain injury, remaining dependent on tracheostomy and nasogastric feeding. Prior interventions, including two botulinum toxin injections and a 35-day multimodal rehabilitation program, failed to yield meaningful improvement. At readmission, swallowing assessments showed profound impairment, malnutrition, and poor treatment tolerance. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was then applied to map cortical activation and guide targeted therapy.

SUBMITTER: Wang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12689878 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature