Functional magnetic stimulation using a parabolic coil for dysphagia after stroke

Abstract

Objectives: Recently, the usefulness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for poststroke dysphagia has been reported. However, there is no report that describes the effectiveness of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) for dysphagia. The purpose of this study is to clarify the effectiveness of FMS for poststroke dysphagia.

Methods: Twenty poststroke dysphagic patients (age at treatment: 51-80 years; interval between onset of stroke and treatment: 6 to 36 months) were randomly assigned to a real group or a sham group. In the real group, FMS of 30 Hz was applied for suprahyoid muscles in a 20-sec train using a parabolic coil for 10 min (total 1200 pulses). In the sham group, sham stimulation was applied for 10 min at the same site. Swallowing function was evaluated by the timed water swallow test, interswallow interval (ISI), swallowing volume velocity (speed), and volume per swallow (capacity) were measured before and after stimulation.

Results: All patients completed the stimulation and none showed any adverse reactions throughout the stimulation. The improvement of speed and capacity of swallowing after stimulation was significantly larger in the real group compared with the sham group (all p < 0.05). However, no significant difference in the ISI was found between the groups.

Conclusions: FMS using a parabolic coil can potentially improve swallowing function in poststroke dysphagic patients.

Keywords: Dysphagia; functional magnetic stimulation; rehabilitation; stroke.