Abstract
Background
Dysphagia is a common disorder following a cerebrovascular accident. It can cause detrimental effects on patient's quality of life and nutrition intake, especially in older adults. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation has been one of the management strategies for acceleration of the recovery. This review summarizes the current evidence on sensory threshold stimulation of the procedure.
Method
This review compiled data from the Internet database PubMed, Cochrane Library and Scopus using combination of MeSH thesaurus: "Sensory threshold", "electrical stimulation", "neuromuscular stimulation", "Deglutition", "Dysphagia". 11 studies were intergraded into the review.
Results
Most of the studies show significant improvement to the outcomes of sensory neuromuscular electrical stimulation treatment. In many cases, the results of the treatment are comparable or superior to motor threshold stimulation and conventional therapy. However, the study design and parameters of the procedure varied greatly without conclusive standardized guidelines.
Conclusion
The sensory neuromuscular electrical stimulation (SNMES) is a viable treatment option for treating oropharyngeal dysphagia. The most suggested application parameters are an intensity at sensory threshold, a frequency of 80 Hz, an impulse time of 700 μs, a combined total duration of 20 hours of stimulation in a 2-week period, placing the electrodes in the submental area of the neck. However, further research is necessary to construct a definitive guideline for clinicians.
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