title: Efficacy and safety of penetration acupuncture on head for acute intracerebral hemorrhage: A randomized controlled study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acupuncture, especially acupuncture treatment on head for acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), has long been disputable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of penetration acupuncture on head in patients with acute ICH.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-two patients with acute ICH were randomized to receive penetration acupuncture treatment on head combined with conventional treatment (treatment group [TG]) or conventional treatment only (control group [CG]). Acupuncture treatments were given in 24 sessions over 4 weeks, with 3-month follow-up period. Measures included Clinical Neurological Function Deficit Scale (CNFDS), Barthel Index (BI), vital signs (respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation), and hematoma absorption ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups showed a progressively improvement in CNFDS and BI scores from day 7 to 90. The TG showed a significantly greater improvement in CNFDS than CG over time (P < 0.05). However, BI failed to show significant difference between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). The vital signs were stable and no expansion of hematoma occurred over the course of acupuncture treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Penetration acupuncture treatment on head appeared to be safe over the course of treatment on acute ICH and may result in additional functional improvements detected in the CNFDS but not reflected in the BI. A larger-scale clinical trial with longer follow-up assessments is required to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, South Campus, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University Department of Acupuncture, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Qiao
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chun-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Zhi-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Gui-Rong
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000628:therapy*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome