[Clinical observation on different needling depth for dyspepsia after ischemic stroke]

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Neurology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Dyspepsia is a common complication following ischemic stroke, significantly impacting patient quality of life.
• Acupuncture is a potential therapeutic modality for post-stroke complications, but optimal needling techniques require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical efficacy of deep needling versus conventional needling depth for treating dyspepsia in patients post-ischemic stroke.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 120 patients with post-ischemic stroke dyspepsia.
• Patients were assigned to either a deep needling group (60-70 mm needle depth, withdrawn to 35-50 mm) or a conventional needling group (25 mm needle depth).
• Both groups received acupuncture at Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25), and Liangmen (ST 21) once daily for two weeks, with symptom scores assessed regularly.

Main Results:

• The deep needling group demonstrated a significantly higher effective rate (92.9%) compared to the conventional group (78.9%) (P<0.01).
• Both methods improved dyspepsia symptoms, but the deep needling group showed greater reductions in total symptom scores and specific symptoms like abdominal fullness and hiccups.
• Deep needling yielded faster and more pronounced improvements, particularly in patients with mild to moderate dyspepsia.

Conclusions:

• Both conventional and deep needling techniques are effective in alleviating dyspepsia symptoms after ischemic stroke.
• Deep needling offers a faster and superior therapeutic effect compared to conventional needling depth for this patient population.