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Effect of Electrical Stimulation of the Suprahyoid Muscles in Brain-Injured Patients with Dysphagia

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation of the suprahyoid muscle is effective compared to that of the infrahyoid muscle in brain-injured patients with dysphagia. A total of 132 patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumor in 2 university hospitals were allocated to 2 groups: those who received electrical stimulation therapy (EST) on the suprahyoid muscles (SM group, n = 66) and those who received EST with one pair of electrodes on the suprahyoid muscle and the other pair on the infrahyoid muscle (SI group, n = 66). Patients received 11.2 ± 3.4 sessions of electrical stimulation in the SM group and 11.9 ± 3.4 sessions in the SI group. The functional dysphagia scale (FDS), swallow function score (SFS), supraglottic penetration, and subglottic aspiration were measured using videofluoroscopic swallowing study. FDS scores decreased from 42.0 ± 19.1 to 32.3 ± 17.8 in the SM group and from 44.8 ± 17.4 to 32.9 ± 18.8 in the SI group by per-protocol (PP) analysis, and those decreased from 41.2 ± 20.9 to 34.5 ± 20.3 in the SM group and from 44.3 ± 19.1 to 35.7 ± 20.5 in the SI group by intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, after electrical stimulation (p < 0.001 for each). SFSs increased from 3.3 ± 1.8 to 4.2 ± 1.6 in the SM group and from 2.8 ± 1.8 to 4.0 ± 1.8 in the SI group by PP analysis, and those increased from 3.3 ± 1.6 to 3.9 ± 1.6 in the SM group and from 2.8 ± 1.9 to 3.6 ± 2.0 in the SI group by ITT analysis, after electrical stimulation (p < 0.001, respectively). However, changes in FDS scores, SFSs, penetration, and aspiration were comparable between the SM and the SI groups. The results suggest that both SM and SI therapies induced similar improvements in swallowing function in brain-injured patients.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Cyber-medic Corp., Iksan, Republic of Korea.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    Jaewon Beom

  2. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Byung-Mo Oh & Tai Ryoon Han

  3. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Kyoung Hyo Choi, Won Kim & Young Jin Song

  4. Cheongshim International Medical Center, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

    Dae Sang You

  5. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Sang Jun Kim

  6. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jaewon Beom

  7. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Gangwon Do Rehabilitation Hospital, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, 200-939, Republic of Korea

    Tai Ryoon Han

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  1. Jaewon Beom
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  2. Byung-Mo Oh
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  4. Won Kim
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  6. Dae Sang You
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  7. Sang Jun Kim
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  8. Tai Ryoon Han
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Correspondence to Tai Ryoon Han.

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Beom, J., Oh, BM., Choi, K.H. et al. Effect of Electrical Stimulation of the Suprahyoid Muscles in Brain-Injured Patients with Dysphagia. Dysphagia 30, 423–429 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-015-9617-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-015-9617-2

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