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Speech and language therapy for dysarthria due to nonprogressive brain damage: a systematic Cochrane review

STEP Project and Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Glasgow Royal In'rmary, Cardiff

Thomas Hughes

Welsh Spinal Injuries and Neurological Rehabilitation Unit, Rookwood Hospital, Cardiff

Peter Langhorne

Academic Section of Geriatric Medicine, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK

Background: Dysarthria is a common sequel of nonprogressive brain damage (typically stroke and traumatic brain damage). Impairment-based therapy and a wide variety of compensatory management strategies are undertaken by speech and language therapists with this patient population.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of speech and language therapy interventions for adults with dysarthria following nonprogressive brain damage.

Design: Systematic review.

Search strategy: This review has drawn on the search strategies developed for the following Cochrane Groups as a whole: Stroke, Injuries, and Infectious Diseases. Relevant trials were identified in the Specialised Registers of Controlled Trials. We also searched the trials register of the Cochrane Rehabilitation and Related Therapies Field. The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycLIT, and Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts were electronically searched. Hand-searching of the International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders and of reference lists from relevant articles and conference proceedings was also undertaken. Colleagues were approached to identify other possible published and unpublished studies.

Selection criteria: Unconfounded randomized controlled trials.

Data collection and analysis: One reviewer assessed trial quality. Two co-reviewers were available to examine any potential trials for possible inclusion in the review.

Main results: No trials of the required standard were identified.

Reviewers' conclusions: There is no evidence of the quality required by this review to support or refute the effectiveness of speech and language therapy interventions for dysarthria following nonprogressive brain damage. There is an urgent need for good quality research in this area.

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