Finsterer J, Mehri S. Electromyography biofeedback training for post-stroke dysphagia. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(14): 97380 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i14.97380]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Josef Finsterer, MD, Doctor, Department of Neurology, Neurology and Neurophysiology Center, Postfach 20, Vienna 1180, Austria. fipaps@yahoo.de
Research Domain of This Article
Neurosciences
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. May 16, 2025; 13(14): 97380 Published online May 16, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i14.97380
Electromyography biofeedback training for post-stroke dysphagia
Josef Finsterer, Sounira Mehri
Josef Finsterer, Department of Neurology, Neurology and Neurophysiology Center, Vienna 1180, Austria
Sounira Mehri, Laboratory of Nutrition and Vascular Health, Faculty of Medicine, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
Co-first authors: Josef Finsterer and Sounira Mehri.
Author contributions: Finsterer J designed the overall concept and outlined of the manuscript and wrote the first draft; Mehri S contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; Finsterer J and Mehri S contributed to the editing of the manuscript, and review of the literature.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Finsterer J and Mehri S have nothing to disclose.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Josef Finsterer, MD, Doctor, Department of Neurology, Neurology and Neurophysiology Center, Postfach 20, Vienna 1180, Austria. fipaps@yahoo.de
Received: May 28, 2024 Revised: October 8, 2024 Accepted: January 7, 2025 Published online: May 16, 2025 Processing time: 231 Days and 4.7 Hours
Abstract
Dysphagia is a common complication of ischemic stroke and is usually difficult to treat. The mainstay of standard therapy of post-stroke dysphagia (PSD) is effortful swallowing. Since its introduction in 2004, there is increasing evidence that surface electromyography-guided biofeedback training (EMGBT) can enhance the therapeutic effect of standard LE. In this editorial, we comment on the article by Meng et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Clinical Cases, which provided evidence that particularly extensive EMGBT with an increased number of sessions is definitively more effective than the standard speech therapy or ordinary EMGBT. Among the 90 PSD patients with ischemic stroke or intracerebral bleeding, those who underwent EMGBT in more sessions than usual particularly benefited from the approach. It was concluded that EMGBT is more effective than traditional swallowing training in improving dysphagia and swallowing disorders as well as hyoid-laryngeal complex movement speed in PSD patients.
Core Tip: A previous case study published in the World Journal of Clinical Cases demonstrated significant improvements in post-stroke dysphagia (PSD) using electromyography biofeedback training, emphasizing its potential as an effective treatment modality. The study showed that intensive surface electromyography-guided biofeedback training (EMGBT) can improve swallowing function in PSD patients more effectively than conventional speech therapy. For this reason, comprehensive EMGBT has been recommended as an adjuvant treatment for dysphagia in PSD patients.
