title: [Acupoint catgut-embedding therapy: superiorities and principles of application].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the superiorities of acupoint catgut-embedding therapy, discuss its law of clinical application and provide scientific decision-making for clinical treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literatures on acupoint catgut-embedding therapy in the recent 40 years were selected, input, examined and verified, picked up and analyzed by establishing database with the modern computer technology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) One thousand and seventy-five literatures were input. It shows that the acupoint catgut-embedding therapy has an extensive application in all departments, especially in the internal department, accounting for 48.54% (50/103) of the total disease category. It has the most extensive application on treatment of epigastric pain, with the frequency of 102 times, and obesity of 74 times. The next is surgery, accounting for 14.56% (15/103). The major application is on low back pain and leg pain with the frequency of 79 times. Psoriasis, with the frequency of 30 times, holds the major application in dermatological department. And blepharoplasty, with the frequency of 30 times, gains the most application in department of ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology. (2) In the included literatures, selection of adjacent acupoints and distal acupoints are held as the major method of acupoint selection. The adjusted lumbar puncture needle is taken as the major tool for the acupoint catgut-embedding therapy. And catguts of different sizes are adopted for the operation. (3) Analysis of the therapeutic effect shows that acupoint catgut-embedding therapy has obvious effect in all departments, especially in surgery and dermatology, with the total effective rate over 90%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Epigastric pain, obesity, epilepsy, asthma, abdominal pain, facial paralysis and constipation of the internal medicine, low back pain and leg pain of the surgical department, psoriasis of the dermatological department and blepharoplasty of the department of ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology are considered as the dominant diseases for acupoint catgut-embedding therapy.
authors.affiliation: College of TCM, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050091, China.
authors.forename: Xuan-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chun-Sheng
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Jian-Ling
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiao-Kang
authors.initials: XK
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Mei-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Su-Gang
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Xiao-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Duan
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D002398:Catgut / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000628:therapy; D009765:Obesity / Q000628:therapy