Combining scalp acupuncture with hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves functional recovery after cerebral infarction / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To observe the effect of combining scalp acupuncture with hyperbaric oxygen on serum homocysteine and highly-sensitive c-reactive protein levels and functional recovery after cerebral infarction.Methods:A total of 101 survivors of cerebral infarction were divided randomly into a scalp acupuncture group ( n=33), a hyperbaric oxygen group ( n=34) and a combined treatment group ( n=34). All received routine treatment plus the appropriate supplementary treatment once a day for 10 days. The subjects were evaluated before the experiment as well as 10 and 90 days afterward. The National Institutes of Health′s stroke scale (NIHSS) was used to quantify neurological deficits and the Barthel Index quantified ability in the activities of daily living. Ninety days after the treatment, modified Rankin scale scores were also assigned. The levels of serum homocysteine (Hcy) and highly-sensitive c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) before and after 10 days of treatment were also compared among the 3 groups. Results:The average NIHSS and Barthel Index scores of all three groups had improved significantly after 10 days of treatment and the improvements persisted at the follow-up 3 months later. Both results were significantly better in the combined treatment group than in the scalp acupuncture group at the 90-day follow-up evaluation. The average Rankin score of the combined treatment group was lower at the last follow-up. Compared with before the intervention, the average Hcy of the scalp acupuncture group, the average hs-CRP of the hyperbaric oxygen group, as well as the average Hcy and hs-CRP of the combined treatment group were significantly lower after 10 days of treatment. Compared with the scalp acupuncture group, the average Hcy [(11.68±2.6) μmol/L] of the combined treatment group was significantly lower after the 10 days of treatment.Conclusions:Supplementing scalp acupuncture with hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves the long-term outcomes of cerebral infarction, reducing the level of serum Hcy.