title: A randomised controlled trial of moxibustion for breech presentation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of moxibustion for the correction of fetal breech presentation in a non-Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Six obstetric departments in Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthy non-Chinese nulliparous pregnant women at 32-33 weeks + 3 days of gestational age with the fetus in breech presentation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Random assignment to treatment or observation. Treatment consisted of moxibustion (stimulation with heat from a stick of Artemisia vulgaris) at the BL 67 acupuncture point (Zhiyin) for one or two weeks. Two weeks after recruitment, each participant was subjected to an ultrasonic examination of the fetal presentation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Number of participants with cephalic presentation in the 35th week.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study was interrupted when 123 participants had been recruited (46% of the planned sample). Intermediate data monitoring revealed a high number of treatment interruptions. At this point no difference was found in cephalic presentation in the 35th week (treatment group: 22/65, 34%; control group: 21/58, 36%; RR 0.95; 99% CI 0.59-1.5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results underline the methodological problems evaluating of a traditional treatment transferred from a different cultural context. They do not support either the effectiveness or the ineffectiveness of moxibustion in correcting fetal breech presentation.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cardini
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.forename: Anna Laura
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Regalia
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Regaldo
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zanini
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Panepuccia
authors.forename: Tullia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Todros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001946:Breech Presentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009071:Moxibustion / Q000379:methods*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011247:Pregnancy; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014710:Version, Fetal / Q000379:methods*