Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 1, 2025
Utilizing Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Improve Language Function in Stroke Patients with Chronic Non-fluent Aphasia
Published on: July 2, 2013
The Effects of Electroacupuncture as an Adjunct Therapy on Poststroke Aphasia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Yao Shi1, Caixia Hu1, Shuhua Li1
1Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine) Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Background:
To systematically collate, appraise, and synthesize evidence of electroacupuncture (EA) as an adjunct therapy for poststroke aphasia (PSA) from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods:
An electronic search was conducted in eight databases to identify RCTs evaluating EA adjuvant therapy versus speech and language therapy (SLT). Methodological quality of the included trails was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias. The software Review Manager 5.4 was used for data analysis.
Results:
Nineteen RCTs enrolling a total of 1263 subjects were identified. The use of EA combined with speech and language therapy (SLT) showed significant improvements in effective rate (RR 1.31, 95% CI [1.21, 1.41]), oral expression score (SMD 1.34, 95% CI [1.13, 1.56]), comprehension score (SMD 1.95, 95% CI [0.88, 3.03]), repetition score (SMD 1.84, 95% CI [0.75, 2.93]), naming score (SMD 1.97, 95% CI [0.81, 3.13]), and reading score (SMD 1.55, 95% CI [1.07, 2.04]) compared to the use of SLT alone.
Conclusions:
The pooled data indicate that EA combined with SLT for the treatment of PSA may improve clinical effectiveness, compared with SLT alone. Future high quality RCTs with large samples are still needed to confirm and expand our findings.
