Trial Manufacture of Magnetic Stimulation Coil to Induce the Contraction of Suprahyoid Muscles

Abstract

Many patients with cerebrovascular diseases and the elderly have difficulty ingesting foods because of dysphagia. We hypothesized that repetitive contraction of the suprahyoid muscles via peripheral nerve magnetic stimulation could lead to recovery of swallowing function. The magnetic stimulation coils currently on the market are problematic because not all tissues around the suprahyoid muscles should be affected during magnetic stimulation, such as the alveolar nerve. The problem is due to the wide area covered by magnetic stimulation. With this factor in mind, we designed and fabricated a coil optimized to provide only a narrow range of stimulation. By adopting use of a magnetic core, we ensured that the coil distributes only a local eddy current during stimulation. We confirmed that the magnetic stimulation using this prototype coil could cause large contractions of the suprahyoid muscles without stimulating the alveolar nerve.