Abstract
Objective:
To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture therapy and carbamazepine therapy for primary trigeminal neuralgia. Methods: A total of 150 patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia treated in Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Linyi Central Hospital from January 2010 to December 2016 were selected. They were divided into acupuncture group (n=75) and drug group (n=75). The patients in the acupuncture group received acupuncture based on the shape of trigeminal nerve once daily with 10 days as a treatment course. The results were observed after two treatment courses.
Those in the drug group took 0.1 g carbamazepine three times daily with 20 days as a treatment course. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores before treatment and in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th week after treatment, the adverse reactions within 3 months after treatment and the hospitalization time were compared between the two groups of patients.
Results:
In the 3rd and 4th week after treatment, the VAS scores in the acupuncture group were obviously lower than those in the drug group (both P<0.001) The total effective rate in the acupuncture group was notably superior to that in the drug group (85.33% vs. 62.67%, P=0.002). The comparison showed that the incidence rates of gastrointestinal discomfort and adverse reactions in nervous system in the acupuncture group were obviously lower than those in the drug group (P=0.000, P=0.006) but there were no significant differences in skin allergies between the two groups (P=0.681). The hospitalization time of the patients in the acupuncture group was significantly shorter than that of the patients in the drug group (P<0.001)
Conclusion:
The treatment of primary trigeminal neuralgia with acupuncture therapy is characterized by better efficacy, higher safety and shorter hospitalization time, which is worthy of clinical popularization.
Full text: http://ijcem.com/files/ijcem0074988.pdf
Author: Songjiang Liu
Published in: Int J Clin Exp Med 2018;11(8):8544-8549