This systematic review investigates the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and combined treatments (i.e. NMES alongside traditional swallowing therapy) in adults with post-stroke dysphagia. The review compares the effects of these treatments to traditional therapy alone.
General Program of Huangpu District Health Commission of Shanghai (China)
From database inception to January 28th, 2022
Double-blind or single-blind randomized-controlled trials
9
When compared to traditional swallowing alone, NMES or combined treatments had the following effects on swallowing function in adults with post-stroke dysphagia:<br />
<ul>
<li>improved Functional Oral Intake Scale scores (SMD = 0.48; 5 studies);</li>
<li>improved Penetration-Aspiration Scale scores (SMD = -0.56; 2 studies); </li>
<li>improved Swallowing Quality of Life scores (SMD = 0.57; 1 study); and</li>
<li>no significant effects on the outcomes of the Water Swallowing Test, the Repeat Salivary Swallowing Test, or the Dysphagia Outcomes and Severity Scale (1 study).</li>
</ul>
Limitations of this study included potential for publication bias due to the exclusion of non-English papers, small sample sizes of the included studies, and a lack of investigation into safety of NMES.
