J Korean Dysphagia Soc.  2019 Jan;9(1):26-35. 10.0000/jkdps.2019.9.1.26.

Interventions for Dysphagia following Stroke: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

• Ha SK
• Kim KE
• Lee HS
• Han A

• KMID: 2437956
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/jkdps.2019.9.1.26

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Dysphagia is a major complication of stroke and causes serious problems, such as lung aspiration. Previous reviews of dysphagia treatments for stroke were limited due to a dearth of available studies. More trials have been published recently warranting a re-examination of the evidence. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of interventions for dysphagia in adults following stroke.
METHODS
The PRISMA Statement with a 27-item checklist was used as a general guide to conduct and report a quality systematic review. Five electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials published in English between 2008 and 2017 examining the effectiveness of dysphagia interventions following stroke. The search terms were entered by combining the keywords related to dysphagia, stroke, interventions, and randomized controlled trials.
RESULTS
Fifteen articles were included; the most commonly used interventions were Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (4 articles), Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (4 articles), and Pharyngeal electrical stimulation (4 articles).
CONCLUSION
This review provides evidence of the effectiveness of interventions for people with dysphagia following stroke, but there were some mixed results. The heterogeneity of the outcome measures as well as the mixed results highlight the need for further research.

Keyword

Dysphagia; Intervention; Stroke; Systematic review

MeSH Terms

Adult
Checklist
Deglutition Disorders*
Electric Stimulation
Humans
Lung
Outcome Assessment (Health Care)
Population Characteristics
Stroke*
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation