Clinical Research on Micro-invasive Acupoint Thread-embedding Therapy in Treating Refractory Prosopoplegia

OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical effects of acupuncture therapy， catgut therapy and PDS therapy in treating refractory prosopoplegia. To observe the effects and side effects of the two kinds of threads. METHODS 228 patients were randomly divided into three groups: acupuncture group， PDS group and the catgut group， with 76 patients in each group. Zanzu(B2)， Yuyao(Extra)， temple， Dicang(ST4)， Jiache(S6)， Qianzheng， Xiaguan， Fengchi(G20)， Hegu(L14) on both sides， Zusanli(ST36) were chosen in the three groups. Sunnybrook facial nerve evaluation system and ENoG were used before and after the treatment to asses the effect. And the side effects of the two groups with different threads were observed right after the treatment， and after ten and thirty days. RESULTS After the treatment， scores of Sunnybrook facial nerve evaluation system of three group all improved(P<0.05). The lateral frontal muscle， orbicular muscle of mouth showed improvement in ENoG after the treatment(P<0.05).The difference between the two group in side effects like tenderness， induration and red and swollen had no statistical significance(P>0.05). Ten days after the treatment， more patients in the catgut group had tenderness， induration and red swollen than the PDS group and the difference had statistical significance(P<0.01). Thirty days after the treatment， there were more patients in the catgut group had tenderness than the PDS group and the difference had statistical significance(P<0.05). Because there were less induration and red and swollen， the results showed that there were more induration and red and swollen in the catgut group than the PDS group and the difference was of stastical significance(P<0.01). CONCLUSION Acupuncture， catgut and PDS thread-embedding therapy are all effective in treating refractory prosopoplegia. And the two threat-embedding therapies can effectively treat the disease and shorten the treating period. PDS thread is a good embedding material which can lower the risks of side effects.