| Purpose: Dysphagia is a common complication in stroke patients,which is an important factor in causing post-stroke pneumonia and significantly increases the risk of acute death in stroke patients.Acupuncture,as an essence of traditional Chinese medicine,had been widely used in the treatment of dysphagia after stroke.Electroacupuncture is a combination of electrical stimulation and acupuncture,in which electrical current is passed through acupuncture needles to stimulate acupoints and improve patients’ swallowing function.However,its effectiveness and mechanism are still not fully understood.Neuromuscular electrical stimulation,as a specific type of electrical stimulation,had been extensively documented to improve swallowing function in stroke patients by inducing muscle contraction through electrical stimulation applied to the distal end of specific nerves.Therefore,this study compares the therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on post-stroke oropharyngeal swallowing disorders,explores the mechanism by which electroacupuncture promotes the recovery of swallowing function after stroke,and provides a reference for electroacupuncture treatment of post-stroke oropharyngeal swallowing disorders.Methods: 45 post-stroke patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia who received treatment at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital from July 2021 to May 2022 and met the inclusion criteria were selected.They were divided into three groups using a random number table: an electroacupuncture group(15 cases),a neuromuscular electrical stimulation group(15 cases),and a control group(15 cases).The control group received routine swallowing function rehabilitation training for 30 minutes,while the electroacupuncture group and neuromuscular electrical stimulation group were given electroacupuncture at the Jialianquan acupoint and neuromuscular electrical stimulation of the submental muscle group for 30 minutes before receiving the same swallowing function rehabilitation training as the control group for another 30 minutes.All three groups received treatment five times a week for a total of three weeks.Before and after the three-week treatment period,the patients in the three groups underwent videofluoroscopic swallow study(VFSS),and their swallowing function was evaluated using the Functional Oral Intake Scale(FOIS),the Standardized Swallowing Assessment(SSA),the Penetration-Aspiration Scale(PAS),and the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile(MBSImp).Surface electromyography(s EMG)was also used to assess the muscle function of the submental muscle group during dry swallows and swallowing 5 ml of warm water [including peak amplitude,mean amplitude,and average swallowing time].Results: After 3 weeks of treatment,the mean SSA score,FOIS score,MBSImp score,PAS score,deglutition duration,AEMG,peak amplitude were improved significantly in comparison to the baseline in all three group.All were also better in two treatment groups than in the control group after treatment.Importantly,the mean SSA score,FOIS score,MBSImp score,PAS score,deglutition duration,AEMG,peak amplitude of patients in the electroacupuncture group were all significantly better than that in the neuromuscular electrical stimulation group.Conclusion: According to our study,electroacupuncture at Jialianquan point demonstrates superior therapeutic efficacy in treating post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia compared to neuromuscular electrical stimulation.As such,electroacupuncture at Jialianquan point may represent a more effective treatment option for post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia. |
