TY - JOUR
T1 - Electrical stimulation and swallowing
T2 - How much do we know?
AU - Humbert, Ianessa A.
AU - Michou, Emilia
AU - MacRae, Phoebe R.
AU - Crujido, Lisa
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Consequences of dysphagia substantially reduce quality of life, increase the risk of medical complications and mortality, and pose a substantial cost to healthcare systems. As a result, it is of no wonder that the clinical and scientific communities are showing interest in new avenues for dysphagia rehabilitation. Electrical stimulation (e-stim) for the treatment of swallowing impairments is among the most studied swallowing interventions in the published literature, yet many unanswered questions about its efficacy remain. In the meantime, many speech-language pathologists who treat dysphagia are attending educational and training sessions to obtain certifications to use this technique. Here, we review the values and limitations of the published literature on the topic of e-stim for swallowing to assist clinicians in decision making in their clinical practice. The discussion provides a review of swallowing anatomy and physiology, the fundamentals of e-stim, and information essential for the readers' independent critique of these studiesall of which are crucial for evaluating the possible effects of e-stim.
AB - Consequences of dysphagia substantially reduce quality of life, increase the risk of medical complications and mortality, and pose a substantial cost to healthcare systems. As a result, it is of no wonder that the clinical and scientific communities are showing interest in new avenues for dysphagia rehabilitation. Electrical stimulation (e-stim) for the treatment of swallowing impairments is among the most studied swallowing interventions in the published literature, yet many unanswered questions about its efficacy remain. In the meantime, many speech-language pathologists who treat dysphagia are attending educational and training sessions to obtain certifications to use this technique. Here, we review the values and limitations of the published literature on the topic of e-stim for swallowing to assist clinicians in decision making in their clinical practice. The discussion provides a review of swallowing anatomy and physiology, the fundamentals of e-stim, and information essential for the readers' independent critique of these studiesall of which are crucial for evaluating the possible effects of e-stim.
KW - Deglutition disorders
KW - electrical stimulation
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U2 - 10.1055/s-0032-1320040
DO - 10.1055/s-0032-1320040
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22851342
AN - SCOPUS:84864398428
SN - 0734-0478
VL - 33
SP - 203
EP - 216
JO - Seminars in Speech and Language
JF - Seminars in Speech and Language
IS - 3
ER -