ABSTRACT
This paper is a case report describing the speech-language and quality of life outcomes presented by a teenager with a central nervous system germ cell tumor affected by extrapontine myelinolysis. The extrapontine myelinolysis is an acute demyelinating disease that can be caused by abrupt changes in serum osmolality, as in the rapid correction of hyponatremia. Data were obtained from clinical assessment protocols, pediatric inventory about quality of life and medical records information. The patient presented mutism, dysphagia and dysarthria caused by extrapontine myelinolysis, with significant impacts on their verbal communication, feeding and quality of life. The scores of quality of life after extrapontine myelinolysis decreased compared to the time before the disease. She received speech-language therapy during hospital admission and in the outpatient clinic. We observed changes in patterns of speech, swallowing and mobility of orofacial structures; with partially reverse of neurological deficits. The speech therapists, as part of a multidisciplinary team of health care, are of great importance in the functional rehabilitation of patients affected by this disease.
Keywords:
Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Speech; Swallowing; Quality of Life; Myelinolysis, Central Pontine; Rehabilitation