Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 3, 2025

Acupoint Catgut Embedding Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine for Managing Allergic Rhinitis

Acupoint Catgut Embedding Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine for Managing Allergic Rhinitis

Published on: December 20, 2024

Recurrent Cellulitis Associated with Acupuncture with Migratory Gold Threads.

Hyun Jin Kang¹, In Hye Choi¹, Chul Jong Park¹

¹Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.

Annals of Dermatology

|June 3, 2021

Summary

Gold thread acupuncture, used for pain relief in Asia, can fragment and migrate. This case shows threads from the back migrating to the leg, causing inflammation and infection.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Clinical Validation of the Updated Korean Atopic Dermatitis Diagnostic Criteria in a Hospital Setting in South Korea.

Annals of dermatology·2025

Same author

Exploring the Efficacy, Safety, and Clinical Implications of Deucravacitinib in East Asians with Psoriasis: A Narrative Review.

Journal of clinical medicine·2025

Same author

The Expanding Therapeutic Potential of Deucravacitinib Beyond Psoriasis: A Narrative Review.

Journal of clinical medicine·2025

Same author

Resolution of extensive plantar verruca vulgaris but not facial verruca plana following nonavalent human papillomavirus vaccine: A case report and literature review.

The Journal of dermatology·2024

Same author

A Rare Case of Juvenile Gangrenous Vasculitis of the Scrotum in Korea.

Annals of dermatology·2023

Same author

Additional Clinical Benefit of Agomelatine Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder in Naturalistic Treatment Setting.

Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2023

Area of Science:

Dermatology
Integrative Medicine
Radiology

Background:

Gold thread acupuncture is a pain management technique prevalent in Asian countries.
Reports indicate potential complications including fragmentation and migration of implanted gold threads.
Such migration can lead to damage of surrounding tissues.

Observation:

A 75-year-old female presented with a 3-day history of right lower leg erythema, edema, and vesicles.
She had a history of cellulitis in the same area and prior gold thread acupuncture on her back for lumbar herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) 10 years earlier.
Histopathology revealed subepithelial edema and perivascular inflammatory infiltrate; radiography showed radiodense threads in the leg soft tissue.

Findings:

The patient's symptoms were attributed to the migration of gold threads from the back to the leg via vascular pathways.

Keywords:

Acupuncture Cellulitis Gold thread

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Women's Chronic Pelvic Pain Management Through Acupoint Catgut Embedding

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Women's Chronic Pelvic Pain Management Through Acupoint Catgut Embedding

Published on: May 3, 2024

Author Spotlight: Exploring Acupuncture in Alzheimer's Research from Thread-Embedding Techniques to Clinical Trials

Author Spotlight: Exploring Acupuncture in Alzheimer's Research from Thread-Embedding Techniques to Clinical Trials

Published on: May 10, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 3, 2025

Acupoint Catgut Embedding Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine for Managing Allergic Rhinitis

Acupoint Catgut Embedding Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine for Managing Allergic Rhinitis

Published on: December 20, 2024

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Women's Chronic Pelvic Pain Management Through Acupoint Catgut Embedding

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Women's Chronic Pelvic Pain Management Through Acupoint Catgut Embedding

Published on: May 3, 2024

Author Spotlight: Exploring Acupuncture in Alzheimer's Research from Thread-Embedding Techniques to Clinical Trials

Author Spotlight: Exploring Acupuncture in Alzheimer's Research from Thread-Embedding Techniques to Clinical Trials

Published on: May 10, 2024

These migrated metallic fragments likely induced an inflammatory reaction, increasing susceptibility to secondary infection.

The leg lesion showed improvement with systemic steroids and antibiotics.

Implications:

This case highlights a rare but serious complication of gold thread acupuncture, emphasizing the risk of foreign body migration.
Physicians should consider migrated foreign bodies in the differential diagnosis of unexplained inflammatory leg lesions, especially in patients with a history of such procedures.
Further research into the long-term safety and migration potential of gold threads is warranted.