title: Functional outcome in acute stroke patients with oropharyngeal Dysphagia after swallowing therapy.
abstract: Dysphagia after stroke is associated with mortality and increased pulmonary complications. Swallowing therapies may decrease pulmonary complications and improve patients' quality of life after stroke. This study used clinical swallowing assessments and videofluoroscopy (VFS) to assess the functional recovery of acute stroke patients with dysphagia after different swallowing therapies. We enrolled 29 acute stroke patients with dysphagia and randomly divided them into 3 therapy groups: traditional swallowing (TS), oropharyngeal neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), and combined NMES/TS. All patients were assessed using the clinical functional oral intake scale (FOIS), 8-point penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), and functional dysphagia scale (FDS) of VFS before and after treatment. There were no differences in the clinical parameters and swallowing results of the FOIS and VFS before swallowing treatment among the 3 groups (P > .05). TS therapy and combined therapy both had significant swallowing improvement after therapy according to the FOIS and 8-point PAS (P < .05). When comparing the results of the VFS among the 3 groups, we found significant improvements in patients eating cookies and thick liquid after combined NMES/TS therapy (P < .05). In acute stroke patients with dysphagia, combined NMES/TS therapy is the most effective swallowing therapy in taking solid diets and thick liquids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kun-Ling
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ting-Yuan
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Electronic address: hyuchi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yu-Chi
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chau-Peng
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Che
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ya-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Pong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003679:Deglutition; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Dysphagia; neuromuscular electrical stimulation; stroke; swallowing therapy; videofluoroscopy