title: [Treating coronary heart disease by acupuncture at neiguan (PC6) and xinahu (BL15): an efficacy assessment by SPECT].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in treating coronary heart disease (CHD) and its effect on the myocardial ischemia/perfusion and the recovery of heart functions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Totally fifty-nine patients with confirmed CHD were randomly assigned to two groups, the acupuncture group (32 cases) and the nitroglycerine group (27 cases). Patients in the acupuncture group were electro-acupunctured at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) and Xinshu (BL15) for 30 min with the frequency of 2/15 Hz and the current strength 9 - 18 mA after myocardial imaging induced by routine exercises or drug load. 99mTc-MIBI 370 MBq was injected 15 min after needling. The myocardial perfusion imaging was performed immediately after needling. 99mTc-MIBI740 MBq was injected to those in the nitroglycerine group during routine exercises or drug load. The myocardial perfusion imaging was performed 5 min after injection. Patients were asked to sublingual administration of nitroglycerine 1 mg after the myocardial perfusion imaging was completed. 99mTc-MIBI 370 MBq was intravenously injected 5 min later, and myocardial perfusion imaging was performed 5 min after injection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was statistical difference in changes of radioactive uptake between before and after treatment in the two groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Both acupuncture and buccal administration of nitroglycerine could increase the blood perfusion of ischemic myocardium. But there was no statistical difference in the improvement of ischemic myocardial cells (t = 1.57, P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using SPECT could clearly display therapeutic effects of acupuncture on CHD, thus providing a new visible research method for CHD studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Guangdong 518036, China.
authors.forename: Zhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Zhi-Jian
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shao-Wei
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon