Article

Swallowing disorders are a common complaint among the elderly. Recently, surface
electrical stimulation applied to the neck region has received increased
attention as a new modality to treat pharyngeal dysphagia. Previous reports used
pulsed current at a frequency range of 1-120 Hz. Kilohertz-frequency alternating
currents (ACs) have not been tested for treating dysphagia. Therefore, we
evaluated the effects of interferential currents (IFCs), the most popular
modality of amplitude-modulated kilohertz-frequency ACs in clinical practice, on
the swallowing reflex in healthy subjects. We found that IFC stimulation at the
sensory threshold with 50-Hz modulation significantly increased the number of
swallows without any discomfort, but pure AC stimulation at the carrier frequency
did not have a significant effect. There was no statistically significant
difference in the time course of the number of swallows among 1,000-, 2,000-,
4,000-, and 6,000-Hz carrier frequencies. The number of swallows remained
increased during the 15-min IFC stimulation, suggesting that IFC stimulation
facilitates the swallowing reflex without adaptation, at least during this
stimulation period. We suggest that an IFC stimulation or a low-frequency,
modulated kilohertz AC stimulation, which would be more comfortable than pulsed
currents, is an alternative stimulation mode for treating pharyngeal dysphagia.

Langue : ANGLAIS