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Laryngeal elevation achieved by neuromuscular stimulation at rest.
Theresa A Burnett1, Eric A Mann, Sonia A Cornell
1Laryngeal and Speech Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1416, USA. burnettt@ninds.nih.gov
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|December 18, 2002
Summary
Neuromuscular stimulation of paired muscles, specifically the mylohyoid, thyrohyoid, and geniohyoid, significantly improved laryngeal elevation compared to single muscles. This finding offers potential for treating dysphagia patients with impaired swallowing.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Neurology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Laryngeal elevation is crucial for airway protection during swallowing.
- Dysphagia, characterized by impaired swallowing, often involves reduced or delayed laryngeal elevation.
- Understanding muscle contributions to laryngeal elevation is key for therapeutic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the optimal single muscle or muscle pair for inducing laryngeal elevation via neuromuscular stimulation.
- To compare the efficacy of single versus paired muscle stimulation in healthy individuals.
- To inform future research on neuromuscular stimulation for dysphagia.
Main Methods:
- 15 healthy men with visible thyroid prominences were recruited.
- Hooked-wire electrodes were used for neuromuscular stimulation of the mylohyoid, thyrohyoid, and geniohyoid muscles.
- Thyroid prominence movement was recorded via video, digitized, and normalized relative to a 2-ml water swallow.
Main Results:
- Single muscle stimulation yielded ~30% of laryngeal elevation and ~50% of swallow velocity.
- Paired muscle stimulation achieved ~50% of laryngeal elevation and ~80% of swallow velocity.
- Paired muscle stimulation demonstrated significantly greater laryngeal elevation than single muscle stimulation.
Conclusions:
- Paired neuromuscular stimulation of select muscles can effectively elevate the larynx.
- This approach holds promise for assisting dysphagic patients with impaired laryngeal elevation.
- Further research should explore these findings in clinical populations with dysphagia.