We present a case of acquired vacuum swallowing in a patient with spinal muscular atrophy associated with dysphagia. A 67-year-old male presented with spinal muscular atrophy. Even though he was able to eat orally, he required a long time to eat and faced difficulty while swallowing saliva, resulting in frequent spitting. Instructions regarding vacuum swallowing to eliminate pharyngeal residue were provided, and a reduction in meal duration and improved saliva swallowing were observed. High-resolution manometry revealed a significant increase in pharyngeal contractile integral and a significant decrease in esophageal pressure with vacuum swallowing, which enabled the passage of a bolus through the pharynx compared with non-vacuum swallowing. Furthermore, an increase in the lower esophageal sphincter pressure, reflecting diaphragmatic contraction, was also observed. Therefore, this case report elucidates that a patient with neuromuscular disorders could acquire vacuum swallowing with proper instructions.

UNASSIGNED: Weakness of trunk muscles, fatigue and reduced mobility are features of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and may also characterize patients with extrapyramidal disorders.Dysphagia is common in DM1 and parkinsonism and can be predominant compared to other symptom, often requiring surgical tratment.
UNASSIGNED: We describe two cases of patients with DM1 and parkinsonism who arrived at our Center for worsening dysphagia and who showed very similar and peculiar clinical features.
UNASSIGNED: The first patient presented initially at the outpatient clinic reporting a 7 year history of progressive difficulties in swallowing and movement slowness. Neurologic examination showed a general bradykinesia, plastic rigidity of upper limbs, diffuse hypotrophy and deep tendon reflexes weakness. MRI scan of brain and spine was unremarkable, but neurophysiological evaluation revealed diffuse myotonic discharges on distal limb muscles. Genetic testing confirmed DM1 diagnosis (CTG range E1).The second patient, presented with an initial diagnosis of parkinsonism due to a 10 years history of gait impairment, generalized weakness and dysphagia. Due to low back pain a neurophysiological study was performed after 5 years from diagnosis of parkinsonism detecting diffuse myotonic discharges and genetic testing confirmed diagnosis of DM1 (CTG range E2).Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) was severe and burdensome for both patients.To date, only one case of molecularly confirmed DM1 along with parkinsonism has been described. We have described two cases of DM1 and parkinsonism in which swallowing function has been affected by a synergic effect triggered by both muscle condition and extrapyramidal disease.

Swallowing a whole toothbrush is a rare event. As of today, no case described has documented that the foreign body has passed through the entire gastrointestinal tract and has been spontaneously eliminated. Places where it is most frequently retained have been described. Only in one single case described did the foreign body reach the colon. We describe the main injuries caused by this foreign body, and the most common correct therapeutic approach for solving the problem. The third case in the literature is presented, with diagnosis and treatment of a woman who, in an attempt to induce vomiting, swallowed a toothbrush which became lodged in her stomach. The patient, at the time of the examination, only showed abdominal pain and anxiety.

Dysphagia may occur after a prolonged intubation due to COVID-19 but it is usually mild. Case reports on severe dysphagia following COVID-19 are infrequent. Diagnosis can be difficult because international indications recommend avoiding instrumental assessments as far as possible because of the infection risk. An early rehabilitation treatment is recommended.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancer (HNC) and lung cancer are often linked because of common risk factors. We aimed to assess the risk of postoperative complications in patients with previous HNC undergoing thoracic surgery for lung cancer.
METHODS: Patients with previous HNC undergoing surgery for lung cancer were included in this retrospective, monocentric, case-control study. All patients were matched for age, sex, FEV1, smoking history, and year of surgery with lung cancer patients without previous HNC. Major postoperative complication was defined as at least one of the following during the first 30 days post lung resection (LR): death, shock, need for mechanical ventilation, and pneumonia.
RESULTS: From January 2006 to May 2012, 65 patients with previous HNC underwent LR. Fifty-nine of these patients were included and matched with 120 control patients without HNC. Major complications occurred in 25 [42.4% (95% CI, 29.4-55.4%)] vs. 19 [15.8% (95% CI, 9.2-22.5%)] patients in the HNC and non-HNC groups, respectively (P<0.001). Among the complications, pneumonia occurred in 19 (32.2%) vs. 12 (10%) (P=0.01), and death occurred in 5 (8.5%) vs. 2 (1.7%) patients in the HNC and non-HNC groups, respectively (P=0.04). The following factors were identified by multivariate analysis to be independently associated with postoperative complications: previous HNC [odds ratio (OR) =4.24; (95% CI, 1.84-9.74)], male gender [OR =8.99; (95% CI, 1.05-76.78)], cumulative smoking [OR =1.02 per unit; (95% CI, 1.01-1.04)] and elevated Charlson score [OR =1.45; (95% CI, 1.07-1.96)].
CONCLUSIONS: Previous HNC is a major independent risk factor for serious postoperative complications after LR for lung cancer. Postoperative pneumonia (POP) is the most frequent complication.