Supplementary Material for: Effects of cerebellar repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia: a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Introduction：This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of cerebellar repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the rehabilitation of post-stroke dysphagia (PSD).
Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the application of cerebellar rTMS in the treatment of PSD. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were rigorously applied during the screening process, and pertinent characteristics of the included RCTs were meticulously extracted. The I2 statistic was employed to assess heterogeneity, and meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 17 software. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool and Pedro scale were utilized to evaluate bias risk and literature quality.
Results: Our analysis encompassed a total of 5 RCTs involving 673 patients with dysphagia who met the inclusion criteria. The findings indicated a significant positive impact of cerebellar rTMS when combined with traditional swallowing exercises on PSD, demonstrating superior efficacy compared to conventional swallowing exercises in isolation. Furthermore, the study revealed no statistically significant differences based on stimulation site (unilateral vs. bilateral cerebellum), stimulation mode (rTMS vs. intermittent theta-burst stimulation [iTBS]), and stimulation frequency (5Hz vs. 10Hz).