title: The effects of acupuncture after thyroid surgery: A randomized, controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acupuncture is a safe and well-tolerated treatment for pain relief. Previous studies supported the effectiveness of several acupuncture techniques for postoperative pain. The aim of this randomized, controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in reducing pain after thyroid surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomized 121 patients to a control group (undergoing only standard postoperative analgesic treatment with acetaminophen) and an acupuncture group, undergoing also either electroacupuncture (EA) or traditional acupuncture (TA). Pain was measured according to intraoperative remifentanil use, acetaminophen daily intake, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and McGill Pain Questionnaire on postoperative days (POD) 1-3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acupuncture group required less acetaminophen than controls at POD 2 (P = .01) and 3 (P = .016). EA patients required less remifentanil (P = .032) and acetaminophen than controls at POD 2 (P = .004) and 3 (P = .008). EA patients showed a trend toward better NRS and McGill scores from POD 1 to 3 compared with controls. EA patients had a lower remifentanil requirement and better NRS and McGill scores than TA patients. No differences occurred between TA patients and controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acupuncture may be effective in reducing pain after thyroid surgery. EA is more useful; TA achieves no significant effects.
authors.affiliation: Minimally Invasive Endocrine Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. Electronic address: maurizio.iacobone@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iacobone
authors.affiliation: Minimally Invasive Endocrine Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Marilisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Citton
authors.affiliation: Minimally Invasive Endocrine Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zanella
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scarpa
authors.affiliation: Minimally Invasive Endocrine Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pagura
authors.affiliation: Minimally Invasive Endocrine Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Saveria
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tropea
authors.affiliation: Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Galligioni
authors.affiliation: Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ceccherelli
authors.affiliation: Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Feltracco
authors.affiliation: Minimally Invasive Endocrine Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Viel
authors.affiliation: Minimally Invasive Endocrine Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Donato
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nitti
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics