Biomechanical Effects of EMST® on Swallowing Function in Parkinson's Disease

May 18, 2026 updated by: University Hospital Muenster

Biomechanical Effects of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST®) on Swallowing Function in Parkinson's Disease - a Prospective High-resolution Manometry Study

The aim of this non-randomized intervention study is to investigate the detailed effects of a structured four-week EMST® training program on the biomechanics of swallowing function in dysphagic Parkinson's patients. A combination of fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and pharyngeal high-resolution manometry (HRM) will be employed to comprehensively evaluate the neuromuscular changes in swallowing.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Germany
      • Münster, Germany, 48149
        • Recruiting
        • University Hospital Münster, Department of Neurology
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • diagnosis of Parkinson's disease,
  • PD-related dysphagia as objectively diagnosed with FEES

Exclusion Criteria:

  • severe dementia, not able to give consent
  • dysphagia related to other diagnoses

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: EMST treatment
daily EMST training on 5 days a week for 1 month
Device: exspiratory muscle strength training
5 sets of 5 breaths with EMST per day, 5 days a week for 1 month
Other Names:
  • EMST

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Effect on swallowing biomechanics in pharyngeal high-resolution manometry as assessed by measurement of e.g. Pharyngeal contractile Integral (PhcI)
Time Frame: 1 month and 3 months
metrics of pharyngeal contraction and upper esophageal sphinkter opening in high-resolution pharyngeal manometry
1 month and 3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pharyngeal swallowing safety and efficiency as assessed with fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) applying DIGEST-FEES scoring
Time Frame: 1 month and 3 months
Assessment of Swallowing safety and efficiency with DIGEST-FEES,
1 month and 3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University Hospital Muenster

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Sonja Suntrup-Krueger, Prof. Dr. med., University Hospital Münster, Department of Neurology, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, A1, 48149 Münster, Germany

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 18, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 26, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 18, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2025-447-f-S

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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