Surface electromyographic characteristics of swallowing in dysphagia secondary to brainstem stroke

Surface electromyography (SEMG) provides an noninvasive avenue for evaluating swallowing physiology. This report describes SEMG characteristics associated with swallow attempts in 6 dysphagic patients who had suffered brainstem stroke compared with 6 age and gender-matched controls. Results indicated that patients with dysphagia secondary to brainstem stroke differed in both amplitude and timing aspects of swallowing attempts from asymptomatic controls. Specifically, the results indicated that during swallow attempts, dysphagic patients produced more muscle activity over a shorter duration and with less coordination than controls. Potential physiological mechanisms of these results are discussed.