Abstract:
Objective To investigate the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on dysphagia in acute stroke patients.
Methods Ninety patients with acute stroke dysphagia were randomly divided into NMES group (group A), tDCS group (group B), and NMES combined with tDCS group (group C), with 30 patients in each group. The swallowing function of patients was evaluated using the Yale pharyngeal residue severity rating scale (YPR), Rosenbek penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), and standardized swallowing assessment (SSA).
Results After treatment, the swallowing function of patients in the three groups significantly improved compared to before treatment (P < 0.05), the improvement effect in group C was significantly better than that in group A and group B (P < 0.05), but the difference in improvement effect between group A and group B was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
Conclusions The combination of NMES and tDCS therapy can effectively improve the swallowing function of patients with acute stroke dysphagia and reduce the risk of aspiration.