Electro-acupuncture combined with surface gastric pacing in the treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction after spinal cord injury

Abstract

Objective To explore the effects of electro-acupuncture combined with surface gastric pacing on gastrointestinal dysfunction for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods Seventy-five SCI patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction were divided randomly into an electro-acupuncture group (group A), a gastric pacing treatment group (group B) and a group for which electro-acupuncture was combined with gastric pacing (group C). There were 25 cases in each group. Members of group A were given 30 minutes of electro-acupuncture per day; those of group B had 30 minutes of gastric pacing treatment twice per day; group C was provided with both 30 minutes of electro-acupuncture and one 30-minute gastric pacing treatment per day. All of the interventions lasted ten days. Before and after the treatment, all patients were assessed using a clinical symptoms score and with electrogastrograms, and any adverse effects were observed. Results There was a significant improvement in upper abdominal pain and epigastric discomfort, bloating and early satiety, nausea, vomiting, as well as belching and loss of appetite in each group after treatment. Before treatment there was no significant difference in the average clinical symptom scores of the three groups. After treatment the values had decreased, and those of group C were significantly lower than group A or B. The average scores of groups B and A were not significantly different. The electrogastrogram results showed than after treatment there was significant improvement in N% and T% in groups A and B, and also significant improvement in N%, B% and T% in group C compared to before treatment. Group C's improvements were all significantly greater than those observed in groups A and B. Conclusion Electro-acupuncture or gastric pacing alone can give some improvement in gastrointestinal function and its electrophysiological indicators, but their combined effects are better than when either is used alone. Key words: Electro-acupuncture; Gastric pacing; Spinal cord injury