Dysarthria during subacute phase of the fi rst in a life-time ischaemic stroke within left lenticular nucleus – case report
Anna Lis1, Mariusz Ireneusz Furmanek2
A rare form of dysarthria, previously not described in the Polish literature, is presented from the speech therapist’s perspective. This neuro-logopaedic case study describes dysarthric patient during subacute phase of the first in a life-time ischaemic stroke. Symptoms were associated with the left lentiform nucleus lesion. Speech recordings were collected on the 2nd, 4th and 6th day after the vascular incident. On the 5th day, the patient underwent endarterectomy procedure due to the left internal carotid artery stenosis. Lingual motor control (tongue and lips movements, resistance to the spatula) and word list articulation were assessed. Quantitative results of the Polish version of the Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test were also analysed to exclude aphasia. Results show that both the labial efficiency as well as articulation improved. However, tongue efficiency deteriorated. It was observed that vowels and labial consonants articulation remained mostly unchanged, regardless of endarterectomy procedure. It was only consonant pronunciation that was affected. For further investigation of the symptoms’ dynamics, long-term observation is recommended.