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Swallowing Function After Continuous Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation of the Submandibular Region Evaluated by
Michael Jungheim1, Christoph Schubert2, Simone Miller2
1Department of Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany. jungheim.michael@mh-hannover.de.
Dysphagia
|April 1, 2017
Summary
Mid-frequency electrical stimulation (NMES) enhanced tongue base retraction during swallowing in healthy individuals. Further research is needed to confirm its effectiveness in dysphagia patients with impaired swallowing function.
Area of Science:
- Swallowing physiology
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)
- Dysphagia research
Background:
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is used in dysphagia therapy, but its effects on swallowing are debated.
- Inconsistent patient responses and limited data on NMES impact necessitate further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physiological effects of NMES on the pharyngeal phase of swallowing.
- To compare the efficacy of two NMES protocols (LFS and MFS) on swallowing parameters.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 29 healthy participants.
- Continuous NMES applied to the submandibular region using either low-frequency stimulation (LFS) or mid-frequency stimulation (MFS) for 10 minutes.
- High-resolution manometry used to measure pharyngeal and upper esophageal sphincter (UES) swallowing parameters.
Main Results:
- Mid-frequency stimulation (MFS) significantly increased maximum tongue base pressure by 8.4%.
- Low-frequency stimulation (LFS) did not yield significant changes in measured parameters.
- No significant changes in upper esophageal sphincter (UES) function were observed with either protocol.
Conclusions:
- The MFS protocol shows potential for enhancing tongue base retraction in healthy individuals.
- The observed effect size was small in healthy subjects, suggesting a potentially greater impact in dysphagic patients.
- Further studies are warranted to evaluate MFS efficacy in dysphagic patients for improving bolus propulsion.