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. 2011 Jun;35(3):322-7.
doi: 10.5535/arm.2011.35.3.322. Epub 2011 Jun 30.

Electrical Stimulation of the Suprahyoid Muscles in Brain-injured Patients with Dysphagia: A Pilot Study

Jaewon Beom  1 , Sang Jun Kim, Tai Ryoon Han
Affiliations

Electrical Stimulation of the Suprahyoid Muscles in Brain-injured Patients with Dysphagia: A Pilot Study

Jaewon Beom et al. Ann Rehabil Med. 2011 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effects of repetitive electrical stimulation of the suprahyoid muscles in brain-injured patients with dysphagia.

Method: Twenty-eight brain-injured patients who showed reduced laryngeal elevation and supraglottic penetration or subglottic aspiration during a videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) were selected. The patients received either conventional dysphagia management (CDM) or CDM with repetitive electrical stimulation of the suprahyoid muscles (ESSM) for 4 weeks. The videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale (VDS) using the VFSS and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association National Outcome Measurement System (ASHA NOMS) swallowing scale (ASHA level) was used to determine swallowing function before and after treatment.

Results: VDS scores decreased from 29.8 to 17.9 in the ESSM group, and from 29.2 to 16.6 in the CDM group. However, there was no significant difference between the groups (p=0.796). Six patients (85.7%) in the ESSM group and 14 patients (66.7%) in the CDM group showed improvement according to the ASHA level with no significant difference between the ESSM and CDM groups (p=0.633).

Conclusion: Although repetitive neuromuscular electrical stimulation of the suprahyoid muscles did not further improve the swallowing function of dysphagia patients with reduced laryngeal elevation, more patients in the ESSM group showed improvement in the ASHA level than those in the CDM group. Further studies with concurrent controls and a larger sample group are required to fully establish the effects of repetitive neuromuscular electrical stimulation of the suprahyoid muscles in dysphagia patients.

Keywords: Brain; Dysphagia; Electrical stimulation; Swallowing.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Location of electrodes during electrical stimulation of the suprahyoid muscles.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
VDS and ASHA levels in all patients before and after treatment. (A) VDS in the ESSM group. (B) VDS in the CDM group. (C) Comparison of △VDS between the ESSM and CDM groups. (D) ASHA level in the ESSM group. (E) ASHA level in the CDM group. (F) Comparison of △ASHA level between the ESSM and CDM groups. N.S.: Not significant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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