title: Effectiveness of acupuncture on chronic prostatitis-chronic pelvic pain syndrome category IIIB patients: a prospective, randomized, nonblinded, clinical trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the acupuncture treatment and the medical treatment with antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on pain control, urinary symptoms, and quality of life of category IIIB chronic prostatitis-chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP-CPPS).
  
  
  METHODS
  From November 2008 to May 2009, 54 male patients with category IIIB CP-CPPS were randomly divided into 2 groups: the medical treatment group (group 1, n = 28) and the acupuncture treatment group (group 2, n = 26). Group 1 took levofloxacin 500 mg daily and ibuprofen 200 mg twice a day for 6 weeks. In the acupuncture group (group 2), bilateral BL32 (Ciliao) and BL33 (Zhongliao) acupoints were used to stimulate the sacral nerve using an electrical pulse generator, twice a week for 7 weeks. The change in National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index scores from the baseline to the end of the treatment was observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean follow-up was 28 weeks from the baseline (range, 20-43 weeks). In acupuncture group, reduction of pain, urinary symptoms, quality of life, and total National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index score was higher compared with the medical group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  However the treatment of CP-CPPS is challenging and difficult for the urologists. This clinical study showed that the acupuncture treatment is a safe and effective treatment of category IIIB CP-CPPS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Ümraniye Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: eyupveli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Eyüp Veli
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Küçük
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Ümraniye Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ferhat Yakup
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Suçeken
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Ümraniye Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bindayı
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Ümraniye Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Boylu
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Ümraniye Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fikret Fatih
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Onol
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Ümraniye Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Eyüp
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gümüş
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult