Endpoints in Dysphagia Trials. Comment on Speyer et al. Neurostimulation in People with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Randomised Controlled Trials—Part I: Pharyngeal and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation. J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11, 776

Abstract

We read with interest the authors’ systematic review and meta-analysis of pharyngeal electrical stimulation (PES) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) [...]

Reply to Dziewas, R.; Bath, P.M. Endpoints in Dysphagia Trials. Comment on “Speyer et al. Neurostimulation in People with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Randomised Controlled Trials—Part I: Pharyngeal and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation. J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11, 776”

“…In a commentary about our review on PES and NMES (Part I), Dziewas and Bath argue that our review did not provide the full picture regarding the treatment of PES [ 6 ]. The authors list four arguments, which this current paper will address consecutively: First, Dziewas and Bath state that we excluded two of eight identified randomised-controlled trials of PES (Dziewas et al [2018] [ 7 ] and Suntrup et al [2015] [ 8 ]) because we assumed that there was ‘no confirmation of OD diagnosis prior to treatment’ in these studies.…”