Efficacy of capsaicin combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with dysphagia after stroke

ZHENG Jiqing; LONG Yaobin; XU Jin

doi:10.11958/20231579

Abstract：Objective To investigate the efficacy of capsaicin combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS)in the treatment of dysphagia after stroke.Methods A total of 85 stroke patients with dysphagia and no true bulbar palsy were included and divided into 3 groups by random number table method:the capsaicin group(28 cases),the rTMS group(29 cases)and the capsaicin combined with rTMS group(28 cases).On the basis of conventional rehabilitation treatment,patients of the capsaicin group were given capsaicin to stimulate oropharynx 3 times a day(30 min before breakfast,lunch and dinner)for 6 days/week.Patients of the rTMS group were given S1 hot spot magnetic stimulation of the primary somatosensory cortex on the healthy side,once a day,6 times a week,and patients of the capsaicin combined with rTMS group were treated with capsaicin combined with S1 hot spot magnetic stimulation.The treatment course of the 3 groups was 3 weeks.Before and after treatment,patients were evaluated by WST,SSA,EAT-10 and VFSS,respectively,to determine the degree of improvement in their swallowing function.Results There were no significant differences in WST,SSA,EAT-10 and VFSS scores before treatment between the 3 groups,and the above indexes were improved after treatment in the 3 groups.The improvement in the capsaicin combined with rTMS group was more obvious than that of the other 2 groups(P＜0.05).Conclusion Capsaicin combined with rTMS can significantly improve swallowing function of patients with swallowing disorder after stroke compared with capsaicin or rTMS alone.