Efficacy of non‐invasive brain stimulation for post‐stroke dysphagia: a meta‐analysis

Background Given the potential harms of dysphagia after stroke, we noticed the possibility of non‐invasive brain stimulation treatments in the management process. Methods The meta‐analysis search for articles published before May 2023 in databases. We used STATA 12.0 software to compute the standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The study showed a greater improvement in swallowing function in post‐stroke dysphagia given transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) immediately after treatment, compared to those given sham tDCS (SMD = 2.99, 95% CI = 1.86–4.11). The study showed a greater improvement in swallowing function in post‐stroke dysphagia given tDCS some days after treatment, compared to those given sham tDCS (SMD = 2.01, 95% CI = 0.87–3.16). The study showed a greater improvement in swallowing function in post‐stroke dysphagia given repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) immediately after treatment, compared to those given sham rTMS (SMD = 4.17, 95% CI = 3.11–5.23). The study showed a greater improvement in swallowing function in post‐stroke dysphagia given rTMS some days after treatment, compared to those given sham rTMS (SMD = 1.77, 95% CI = 0.94–2.60). Conclusions In conclusion, our study showed the beneficial effects of non‐invasive brain stimulation on difficulty swallowing for stroke patients and speculated about the potential application of non‐invasive brain stimulation on post‐stroke dysphagia improvement.