RESUMO
Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of dragon-tiger contending needling at Xi-cleft points plus electroacupuncture in treating postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).Method Seventy PHN patients were randomized into a treatment group of 36 cases and a control group of 34 cases. The treatment group was intervened by dragon-tiger contending needling at Xi-cleft points plus electroacupuncture, while the control group was treated with electroacupuncture alone. In the 4-week treatment, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores right before and after the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 9th and 12th treatment sessions were recorded, “the maximum pain intensity since the last treatment session” and “real-time analgesic effect” were observed, and the total therapeutic efficacy was also evaluated.Result The real-time analgesic effects right after the 1st, 2nd and 6th treatments in the treatment group were significantly better than those in the control group (P<0.05). The “maximum pain intensities since the last treatment session” prior to the 2nd, 6th, 9th, and 12th treatment sessions were significantly different from the pain intensity before the intervention in the two groups (P<0.05). The “maximum pain intensities since the last treatment session” prior to the 6th, 9th, and 12th treatment sessions were significantly different from those in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate and recovery plus markedly-effective rate were respectively 97.2% and 77.8% in the treatment group, versus 91.2% and 59.2% in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference in the recovery plus markedly-effective rate between the two groups (P<0.05).Conclusion Dragon-tiger contending needling at Xi-cleft points plus electro- acupuncture is an effective approach in treating PHN; it acts efficiently and can produce a satisfactory real-time analgesic effect.