title: Hemiparesis after Operation of Astrocytoma Grade II in Adults: Effects of Acupuncture on Sensory-Motor Behavior and Quality of Life.
abstract: To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on hemiparesis and quality of life for adults with brain astrocytoma grade II, we conducted a randomized, observer-blinded clinical trial. Fifty-eight patients were randomized to standard rehabilitation (SR) therapy without acupuncture (n = 20), SR plus standard acupuncture (SA) (n = 19), and SR plus individualized acupuncture (IA) (n = 19). SA points were PC6, SP6, HT1, LU5, BL40, and ST36, while a special concept called "connecting and regulation Ren and Du" and "Jin-3-needling" served as IA. This treatment was individualized according to the clinical syndrome. The outcome was measured by the Barthel Index (BI), the Fugl-Meyer scale (FM), and the EORTC Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) with the Brain Cancer Module (BCM20). IA + SR reached significantly higher BI scores than SA + SR, which reached significantly higher BI scores than SR. IA + SR was significantly superior to SA + SR and to SR at the 8th week for the scores of FM motor and sensory assessments and most QLQ-C30-BCM20 items. In conclusion, the individualized acupuncture concept of "connecting and regulating Ren and Du" combined with "Jin-3-needling" offers a promising possibility for the treatment of hemiparesis due to astrocytoma, but further evaluation is mandatory.
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen City, Guangdong 518033, China.
authors.forename: Haibo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Yongfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhifeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xingxian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang