Effect of acupuncture on post- dural puncture headache; randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Post- Dural Anesthesia with the incidence of 0.16%- 1.3% and remains an important iatrogenic cause of patients’ morbidity. The prime goal of treating PDPHs is restoring the CSF volume and pressure. Very few studies have observed that acupuncture was effective for the treatment of post-dural puncture headaches. However, trials are small in number, and trial design is inadequately reported. In the first Randomized Clinical Trial we intended to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on post- Dural puncture headache. In a single blinded Randomized Clinical Trial, 60 patients were involved in this study which consisted of 20 patients in each group. We compared the effects acupuncture with that of sham acupuncture treatments and conservative treatment on post-Dural puncture headache. Participants were randomized to one of three groups. The acupuncture group received treatment, while the other acupuncture group received sham treatment and conservative treatment received fluid and analgesics. Outcome measures were pain intensity (visual analogue scale) and recovery time (time that the pain falls to 0-3 due to visual analogue scale). Survival analysis and longitudinal analysis using mixed model was used Pain intensity was less in acupuncture group than in the sham group and conservative group (p<0.05). Pain intensity decreased significantly (p<0.001) in Acupuncture group comparing to other groups (p<0.0001). Acupuncture reduced pain faster than other treatments (p<0.0001). General Condition improved significantly in conservative group but not in Acupuncture group (p=0.2) Acupuncture is a simple and effective way for treating post-Dural puncture Headache.