Objective The primary aim of this review is to evaluate the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on post-stroke dysphagia. Methods Thirteen databases were systematically searched through July 2014. Studies had to meet pre-specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each study's methodological quality was examined. Effect sizes were calculated from extracted data and combined for an overall summary statistic. Results Eight randomized controlled trials were included. These trials revealed a significant, moderate pooled effect size (0.55; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.93; p = 0.004). Studies stimulating the affected hemisphere had a combined effect size of 0.46 (95% CI = −0.18, 1.11; p = 0.16); studies stimulating the unaffected hemisphere had a combined effect size of 0.65 (95% CI = 0.14, 1.16; p = 0.01). At long-term follow up, three studies demonstrated a large but non-significant pooled effect size (0.81, p = 0.11). Conclusions This review found evidence for the efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation on post-stroke dysphagia. A significant effect size resulted when stimulating the unaffected rather than the affected hemisphere. This finding is in agreement with previous studies implicating the plasticity of cortical neurons in the unaffected hemisphere. Significance Non-invasive brain stimulation appears to assist cortical reorganization in post-stroke dysphagia but emerging factors highlight the need for more data.

Only a minority of exercises prescribed for patients with dysphagia have sufficient evidence for long-term improvement in swallowing.

This study found a high frequency of dysphagia after prolonged intubation in patients with no preexisting dysphagia. Important variables leading to dysphagia are often overlooked, such as swallowing delay and laryngeal pathology. The timing of swallowing assessments did not reveal any difference in dysphagia frequency, suggesting that it might not be necessary to wait to perform dysphagia screens or evaluations.