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ABSTRACT

Wallenberg syndrome, or left lateral medullary syndrome, manifests due to posterior circulation infarction. Consequently, this damages areas like the medulla oblongata and cerebellum, which play a significant role in speech and swallowing functions, especially the former. Keeping this in mind, the purpose of this case series was to document the clinical presentations of the condition to broaden the understanding among speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Case reports of those patients diagnosed with Wallenberg syndrome or left lateral medullary syndrome and those referred for speech and swallowing assessment were extracted, and the findings were analyzed. Four cases were chosen, and their speech and swallowing assessment, management reports, and discharge summary findings were utilized. It was found that despite the same lesion site, all of them varied in their clinical presentations. Hence, it required SLPs to administer customized and patient-oriented symptom-specific management options. From the present case series, it can be deduced that despite the theoretical understanding of the symptomatology of this condition, it need not necessarily correlate with its actual clinical manifestations in clinical practice. Hence, SLPs must be cautious when addressing the issues in these patients, implement an appropriate treatment regime that is patient and symptom-based, and not rely solely on theoretical knowledge.

Keywords: Wallenberg syndrome, left lateral medullary syndrome, speech, swallowing impairments, India