ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the effect of acupuncture at the thirteen ghost points on the electroencephalogram (EEG) of patients with hepatic encephalopathy. Method Eighty patients with hepatic encephalopathy were divided into a treatment group of 40 cases and a control group of 40 cases by the random number table. The control group was intervened by basic treatment, while the treatment group was intervened by acupuncture at the thirteen ghost points in addition to the treatment given to the control group. EEG was observed before and after the treatment.Result After 2-week treatment, the total effective rate was 65.0% in the control group versus 75.0% in the treatment group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The change of EEG towards normal level was more significant in the treatment group than that in the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture at the thirteen ghost points can obviously help improve the EEG of patients with hepatic encephalopathy and it can enhance the treatment efficacy of the basic treatment for hepatic encephalopathy.