A Comparison of an Implanted Neuroprosthesis With Sensory Training for Improving Airway Protection in Chronic Dysphagia

Phase 2

Completed

Conditions: Parkinson Disease
Chronic Dysphagia
Multiple Sclerosis

Interventions: Device: Neurostimulation device for dysphagia
Device: External vibrotactile device

Registration Number: NCT00376506

Lead Sponsor: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Brief Summary: This study will compare an implant with the technique of sensory training to determine which method may improve the ability to swallow and reduce the risk of choking. Many people with a brain injury or neurological disorders experience difficulty in swallowing. Past studies have shown that an electrical pulse applied to muscles or an increase in sensory stimulation to the throat can help.

Patients ages 18 to 90 who have had a brain injury or neurological disorder and who have had trouble swallowing for 6 months or longer may be eligible for this study. Patients will undergo a physical examination, pregnancy test, and exam by a throat and speech physician. Fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing involves a flexible tube passed through the nose to the back of the throat to allow observation of the voice box. Videofluoroscopy, an X-ray of the head and neck, will be done while patients swallow. Patients experiencing trouble with the upper esophagus may undergo additional procedures, including manometry to measure pressure changes in the back of the throat, and reevaluation through the fiber-optic tube. Patients in this study will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which uses a strong magnetic field to obtain images of the body. Patients will lie on a table that slides into the enclosed tunnel of the scanner. The scan will take 20 to 25 minutes.

Patients will be assigned randomly to one of two groups: the intramuscular group, to have a stimulation device implanted in the neck, and the vibrotactile group, to receive a vibrotactile stimulator. All patients will have 10 training sessions with their devices, plus follow-up. Those patients in the first group will undergo surgery, under general anesthesia, for the implant. Three weeks following the implant procedure, patients will come to NIH to have the stimulator turned on and programmed and to learn how to use the device. Those patients in the second group will have about 2 to 3 weeks of training in using a vibrotactile device, and then they will take it home to use. All patients will return to NIH at 3 months to ensure proper use of the devices, and they will visit for follow-up at 6 months and 12 months for tests and questionnaires.

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Detailed Description: Objective: To determine if an implanted neuroprosthesis improves airway protection for swallowing in chronic pharyngeal dysphagia to a greater degree than sensory training. The implanted neuroprosthesis will provide intramuscular stimulation to as many as 8 hyo-laryngeal muscles. Stimulation will be coincident with a button press initiation under patient control while eating or at regular intervals for saliva swallows during the day and/or at night. Sensory training will include vibrotactile stimulation to the neck coincident with swallowing under patient control to assist with swallowing while eating or for saliva swallows during the day.

Study population: Persons with chronic (greater than 6 months) dysphagia with risk of aspiration secondary to neurological injury, stroke or chronic neurological disease who currently require enteric feeding or severe dietary restrictions because of risk of aspiration.

Design: A Phase 2 clinical trial with random assignment between two treatment groups with blinded assessment of treatment outcome. Both treatment groups will undergo 2 weeks of device training with a speech pathologist. The implant group will undergo training starting 3 weeks after implantation. They will receive prescriptive training when the levels of muscles stimulation will be established for swallowing. Patients will be trained to press a switch to control the stimulation while they are swallowing. The sensory training group will receive the same amount of training to provide sensory stimulation coincident with attempting to swallow.

Outcome measures: Blinded assessment of risk of aspiration on videofluoroscopy using the NIH Swallowing Safety Scale, and patient administration of the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) for Dysphagia and the Swallowing Quality of Life Outcomes Tool (SWAL_QOL) prior to treatment and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months following treatment. Patient administration of the FOIS and SWAL_QOL at 24-months.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 10

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Implanted Device	Neurostimulation device for dysphagia	Implanted intramuscular neurostimulator device
External Device	External vibrotactile device	External vibrotactile device

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Swallowing Safety for 10 ml of Thin Liquid	Baseline and 12-months post-treatment	Every 3 months swallowing safety was measured using the Swallowing Safety Scale (SSS). The SSS measures 11 swallowing variables including: the presence of residue in the valleculae, laryngeal vestibule, and/or pyriform sinuses, the presence of penetration arising from the oropharynx and/or the hypopharynx, the number of aspiration events arising from the oropharynx and/or the hypopharynx, response to aspiration, degree of esophageal entry, presence of regurgitation, and the presence of \>1 swallow per bolus. Scores range from 0 (safe swallowing) to \>5 (severely impaired swallowing safety). The maximum score is infinite as the number of occurrences of aspiration is counted in the total score. A higher score on the SSS indicates reduced swallowing safety. Swallows of 10 ml thin liquid, were captured during videofluoroscopy. The SSS was scored from videotaped swallows, by speech pathologists. The raters were blinded to the identity of the patient, group, and time post training.
Swallowing Safety for 5 ml of Pudding	Baseline and 12-months post-treatment	Every 3 months swallowing safety was measured using the Swallowing Safety Scale (SSS). The SSS measures 11 swallowing variables including: the presence of residue in the valleculae, laryngeal vestibule, and/or pyriform sinuses, the presence of penetration arising from the oropharynx and/or the hypopharynx, the number of aspiration events arising from the oropharynx and/or the hypopharynx, response to aspiration, degree of esophageal entry, presence of regurgitation, and the presence of \>1 swallow per bolus. Scores range from 0 (safe swallowing) to \>5 (severely impaired swallowing safety). The maximum score is infinite as the number of occurrences of aspiration is counted in the total score. A higher score on the SSS indicates reduced swallowing safety. Swallows of 10 ml thin liquid, were captured during videofluoroscopy. The SSS was scored from videotaped swallows, by speech pathologists. The raters were blinded to the identity of the patient, group, and time post training.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Penetration-Aspiration Scale for 10 ml Thin Liquid	Baseline and 12-months post-treatment	Every 3 months swallowing was measured using the Penetration-Aspiration (P/A) Scale. The P/A scale is an 8-point interval scale measuring the depth to which material passes into the airway and the patients cough response. A score of 0 indicates no penetration or aspiration. A score of 8 indicates the presence of aspiration with no cough response. A higher score indicates reduced swallowing safety. Swallows of 10 ml thin liquid, were captured during videofluoroscopy. The P/A Scale was scored by speech pathologists blinded to the identity of the patient, group, and time post training, from videotaped swallows.
Penetration-Aspiration Scale for 5 ml Pudding	Baseline and 12-months post-treatment	Every 3 months swallowing was measured using the Penetration-Aspiration (P/A) Scale. The P/A scale is an 8-point interval scale measuring the depth to which material passes into the airway and the patients cough response. A score of 0 indicates no penetration or aspiration. A score of 8 indicates the presence of aspiration with no cough response. A higher score indicates reduced swallowing safety. Swallows of 5 ml pudding, were captured during videofluoroscopy. The P/A Scale was scored by speech pathologists blinded to the identity of the patient, group, and time post training, from videotaped swallows.
Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) for Dysphagia	Baseline and 12-months post-treatment	The FOIS was administered at baseline and every 3 months post-treatment during the first year. The FOIS is a 7 point ordinal scale reflecting the functional oral intake of patients. A score of 1 indicates no oral nutrition; a score of 7 indicates all nutrition is taken orally.
Quality of Life Patient Questionnaire	Baseline and 12-months post-treatment	The SWAL-QOL (Swallowing Quality of Life) questionnaire was administered at baseline and every 3 months during the first year. The SWAL-QOL is a 44 item tool that measure 10 quality of life domains, i.e., food selection, burden, mental health, social functioning, fear, eating duration, eating desire, communication, sleep, and fatigue. Scores range from 0 to 100. A lower score indicates greater impairment.