The association in Kampo medicine between Oketsu (blood stasis) and sublingual vein width of the tongue on a tongue image analyzing system

Abstract

ABSTRACTAimRegarding tongue diagnosis, the sublingual vein is known as one of the sites of Oketsu (blood stasis) findings; however, the association between blood stasis and sublingual vein width based on measurement of the diameter of the vein using quantitative methods is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between blood stasis and sublingual vein width.MethodThis retrospective cross‐sectional study included 38 patients of 20 years old and over (median age, 68.7 ± 11.3 years; 14 men and 24 women) who visited the Department of Kampo Medicine at Chiba University Hospital from May to August 2017. We reviewed the blood stasis score, and the width of the sublingual vein measured using a Tongue Image Analyzing System (TIAS), patients' physical findings, and blood test results. We classified the patients into non‐blood stasis (NBS) and blood stasis (BS) using Terasawa's diagnostic criteria for blood stasis.ResultThe sublingual vein width in BS was significantly greater than that in NBS. Approximately 80% of the BS patients had a sublingual vein width greater than 3.0 mm.ConclusionThe present study showed, for the first time, that patients with blood stasis tend to have a larger sublingual vein width based on an objective method. Moreover, TIAS, which can quantify tongue‐related information objectively, may be considered useful for training and as a diagnostic aid.