Article

Etude pilote -
Abstract : Oropharyngeal dysphagia is frequent in chronic neurological disorders
and increases mortality, mainly due to pulmonary complications. Our aim was to
show that submental sensitive transcutaneous electrical stimulation (SSTES)
applied during swallowing at home can improve swallowing function in patients
with chronic neurological disorders. METHODS: Thirteen patients were recruited
for the study (4 f, 68+/-12years). They all suffered from neurogenic
oropharyngeal dysphagia. We first compared the swallowing of paste and liquid
with and without SSTES. Thereafter, the patients were asked to perform SSTES at
home with each meal. Swallowing was evaluated before and after six weeks of SSTES
using the SWAL-QoL questionnaire. RESULTS: With the stimulator switch turned on,
swallowing coordination improved, with a decrease in swallow reaction time for
the liquid (P<0.05) and paste boluses (P<0.01). Aspiration scores also decreased
significantly with the electrical stimulations (P<0.05), with no change in
stasis. At-home compliance was excellent and most patients tolerated the
electrical stimulations with no discomfort. A comparison of the SWAL-QoL
questionnaires after 6 weeks revealed an improvement in the burden (P=0.001),
fatigue (P<0.05), and pharyngeal symptom (P<0.001) scales. CONCLUSION: The
present study demonstrated that SSTES is easy to use at home and improves oropharyngeal dysphagia quality of life.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS