[Acupuncture at "seven acupoints on neck" for cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type].

OBJECTIVE

To compare the efficacy difference among acupuncture at "seven acupoints on neck", acupuncture at regular acupoints and betahistine mesilate tablet for cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type, and to explore the effective treatment for cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type.

METHODS

Ninety patients were randomly divided into a regular acupuncture group, a medication group and a neck-seven-acupoint group, 30 cases in each group. According to the acupoints prescription for vertigo in "11th Five-Year" Nation Textbook Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the patients in the regular acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at Fengchi (GB 20) and Baihui (GV 20), etc.; the patients in the neck-seven-acupoint group were treated with Fengfu (GV 16), Fengchi (GB 20), Tianzhu (BL 10) and Wangu (GB 12); the two groups were treated once a day, 6 treatments were taken as one course; there was an interval of 1 day between course and totally two course were given. The patients in the medication group were treated with betahistine mesilate tablets, 1 tablet each time, 3 times a day, for 2 weeks. The vertigo symptom and function score, mean blood flow velocity of left vertebral artery (LVA), right vertebral artery (RVA), basilar artery (BA) as well as pulsatile index (PI) and resistance index (RI) were observed, and the clinical efficacy of the three groups was compared.

RESULTS

The total effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the neck-seven-acupoint group, which was superior to 76.7% (23/30) in the regular acupuncture group and 70.0% (21/30) in the medication group (both P<0.05). The vertigo symptom and function score were all improved after treatment in the three groups (all P<0.05), and the improvement in the neck-seven-acupoint group was superior to those in the regular acupuncture group and medication group (both P<0.05). The mean blood flow velocity of LVA, RVA and BA was all improved after treatment in the neck-seven-acupoint group and regular acupuncture group (all P<0.05), which was not significant in the medication group (all P>0.05). The improvement of mean blood flow velocity in the neck-seven-acupoint group was superior to those in the medication group and regular acupuncture group (all P<0.05); the improvement in the regular acupuncture group was superior to that in the medication group (all P<0.05). PI and RI were all reduced after treatment in the three groups (all P<0.05); the reduction in the neck-seven-acupoint group was more significant those those in the medication group and regular acupuncture group (all P<0.05), and the reduction in the regular acupuncture group was superior to that in the medication group (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Acupuncture at "seven acupoints on neck" has better clinical efficacy than regular acupuncture and betahistine mesilate tablets, which could obviously improve vertigo and brain blood supply.