Efeito imediato da estimulação elétrica neuromuscular na deglutição após tratamento do câncer de laringe: relato de caso

The objective of this study was to verify the immediate effect of sensory and motor neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), in the oral and pharyngeal phases of deglutition, in a 64 year male patient after laryngeal cancer treatment. Videofluoroscopy was performed during deglutition of 5 ml of honey and pudding, under three conditions: without stimulation, with sensory NMES, with motor NMES, randomly defined. The degree of dysfunction of deglutition (DOSS), the presence of food stasis (Eisenhuber scale), laryngeal penetration and laryngotracheal aspiration (PAS) and oral and pharyngeal transit time were evaluated. An evaluator without knowing about the applied stimulus. On the DOSS scale there was improvement with sensory and motor stimulation. In the PAS scale, there was improvement, both for the sensorial and motor stimulus in the honey consistency, but the worsening of the motor stimulus for the pudding consistency was observed. There was reduction of the residues in the base of the tongue with sensorial and motor stimulus for the consistency of pudding and honey; worsening motor stimulus in the posterior wall of the pharynx for honey consistency. There was no difference between stimulation levels regarding to oral and pharyngeal transit time. The results showed that NMES at the sensory and motor levels improved the degree of dysphagia in an individual after the treatment of laryngeal cancer, with greater benefits of the sensory level in relation to the motor regarding to the presence of penetration and residues.