Electroacupuncture Therapy for Auricular Paresthesia

Background: The great auricular nerve (GAN) provides sensory innervation to the skin around the auricle. Although disorder of this nerve has been reported, great auricular neuralgia, as reported by Blumenthal in 1992, is uncommon. The authors report a case of auricular paresthesia that responded well to electroacupuncture treatment (EAT). Case: A man in his 60s was consulted in the clinic after a 6-month history of experiencing tingling sensations of the skin around the auricle. General degenerative deformity of the cervical spine was observed using computed radiography scans and magnetic resonance imaging; tactile hyperesthesia in the skin of the GAN area was also noted. This case was diagnosed as a disturbance of the great auricular nerve (mild neuralgia). As a potential treatment, EAT was administered near the affected nerve once per week for 6 weeks. Results: Visual analogue scale (VAS) measurements showed a marked decrease in the severity of this patient's symptoms, and the tactile hyperesthesia in the affected area had normalized. The main complaint, auricular paresthesia, had disappeared and had not recurred according to a check-up 15 months later. Conclusions: EAT was effective in the current case. It is hypothesized that EAT can reduce neural sensitivity via a reflex mechanism actuated by somatosensory input.