title: [Comparison on efficacy and the safety evaluation on peripheral facial paralysis treated with electroacupuncture of different waveforms].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To use electroacupuncture (EA) of different waveforms to treat peripheral facial paralysis and assess the clinical efficacies of 3 kinds of EA waveforms (continuous wave, disperse-dense wave and intermittent wave).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty-nine cases of Bell's palsy were randomly divided into a continuous wave group (45 cases), a disperse-dense wave group (40 cases) and an intermittent wave group (44 cases). The acupoints were Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Xiaguan (ST 7), Hegu (LI 4), etc. The House-Brackmann (H-B) scale was used in the assessment on the day of the inclusion, in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th sessions of treatment and in 1st and 3rd months of the follow-up visit after the end of treatment separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cured rates were 68.9% (31/45), 60.0% (24/40) and 65.9% (29/44) in the continuous wave group, the disperse-dense wave group and the intermittent wave group separately. The results of the rank sum test showed that the efficacy comparison among the groups did not present the statistically significant difference (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electroacupuncture achieves the significant clinical efficacy on peripheral facial paralysis and there are no any significant differences in the efficacy among the different waveforms. It is suggested that the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture on the disease has nothing significant correlation with the waveforms.
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture-Moxibustion Department of Qingdao Hiser Medical Group, Qingdao 266033, Shandong Province, China. qdliulian@126.com
authors.forename: Li-An
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yun-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Qing-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhu-Li
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged