Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as an alternative therapy for dysphagia after stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives:A meta-analysis and systematic review was conducted to investigate the potential effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on dysphagia in patients with stroke, including different parameters of frequency and stimulation site.Methods:PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE databases and the Cochrane Library, were searched for randomized controlled studies of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of dysphagia published before March 2016.Results:Six clinical randomized controlled studies of a total of 163 stroke patients were included in this meta-analysis. A significant effect size of 1.24 was found for dysphagic outcome (mean effect size, 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.67–1.81). A subgroup analysis based on frequency showed that the clinical scores were significantly improved in dysphagic patients with low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment (P < 0.05) as well as high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment (P < 0.05). ...