Comparing the effects of rehabilitation swallowing therapy vs. neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy among stroke patients with persistent pharyngeal dysphagia: a randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND Dysphagia after stroke is associated with increased mortality, higher dependence, and longer hospitalization. Different therapeutic strategies have been introduced to improve swallowing impairment. There are no current studies that compare rehabilitation swallowing therapy (RST) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy (NMES). OBJECTIVE To compare treatment outcomes between RST and NMES intervention in stroke patients with pharyngeal dysphagia. STUDY DESIGN A randomized controlled study. MATERIAL AND METHOD Twenty-three stroke patients with persistent pharyngeal dysphagia (RST 11, NMES 12) were enrolled in the present study. The subjects received 60 minutes of either RST or NMES treatment for five consecutive days, had two days off and then five more consecutive days of treatment for a four-week period or until they reached functional oral intake scale (FOIS) level 7. The outcome measures assessed were change in FOIS, complications related to the treatment and number of therapy sessions. RESULTS There were no significant differences in the stroke characteristics and the VFSS results between the two groups. At the end of treatment, the average numbers of therapy sessions per subject in the RST and NMES groups were 18.36 +/- 3.23 and 17.25 +/- 5.64, respectively, a non-significant difference. Average changes in FOIS scores were 2.46 +/- 1.04 for the RST group and 3.17 +/- 1.27 for the NMES group, statistically significant at p < 0.001. No complications were observed in either group. CONCLUSION While both RST and NMES therapy showed a positive effect in the treatment of persistent dysphagia in stroke patients, NMES was significantly superior.