[Clinical trials of treatment of acute facial paralysis with pain by blood-letting plus acupuncture in patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of blood-letting plus acupuncture intervention for acute facial paralysis with pain (damp-heat type of liver and gallbladder).

METHODS: A total of 120 cases of acute facial paralysis with pain were randomly and equally divided into control group and treatment group. Patients of the control group were treated by simple acupuncture therapy only, and patients of the treatment group treated by acupuncture plus bloodletting at the ipsilateral Yangbai(GB 14) and Quanliao (SI 18), and Dazhui (GV 14) and Yifeng (TE 17), alternatively. Shallow-acupuncture stimulation of ipsilateral Cuanzhu (BL 2), Sizhukong (TE 23), Sibai (ST 2), Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6), Yingxiang (SP 9), and bilateral Hegu (LI 4), Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Xingjian (LR 2) was administered for 30 min, once daily for one month. The patients' facial pain degree was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS), and the pain duration during acute stage was recorded. The facial nerve function and facial nerve function recovery (grade II) time were determined by using Sunnybrook Facial Grading scale and House-Brackmann (HB) grading scale, respectively.

RESULTS: In comparison with pre-treatment, the post-aurem pain scores after the first treatment and after the acute stage were significantly decreased, and the facial nerve function scores after the treatment were significantly increased in both control and treatment groups (P < 0.01), and the effects of the treatment group were significantly superior to those of the control group (P < 0.01). The post-aurem pain duration and the time of facial nerve function recovery (HB) of the treatment group were considerably lower than those of the control group (P < 0.01). Of the 58 and 59 facial palsy patients in the control and treatment groups, 16 (27.6%) and 24 (40.7%) were cured, 18 (31.0%) and 23 (39.0%) experienced marked improvement, 15 (25.9%) and 10 (16.9%) were improved, and 9 (15.5%) and 2 (3.4%) were failed, with the effective rate being 85.0% and 96.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Bloodletting combined acupuncture is effective in the treatment of acute facial paralysis with pain.