Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29973265›Full record

ArticleTrials2018

Acupuncture as an early treatment for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) patients with flat or high-frequency drop audiograms: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Kai Shang, Xin Ma, Hui-Lin Liu, Yuan-Yuan Jing, Lin Zeng, Nan Li, De-An Zhou, Jia Wei, Chen Zhang

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Observational
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Kai ShangAcupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated with Capital Medical University, No.23, Mei shu guan hou jie Road, Beijing, 100010, China.
Xin MaOtorhinolaryngology Department, Peking University People's Hospital, No.11, Xi zhi men nan da jie Road, Beijing, 100044, China.
Hui-Lin LiuAcupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated with Capital Medical University, No.23, Mei shu guan hou jie Road, Beijing, 100010, China. lhlxwy@aliyun.com.
Yuan-Yuan JingOtorhinolaryngology Department, Peking University People's Hospital, No.11, Xi zhi men nan da jie Road, Beijing, 100044, China.
Lin ZengResearch Center of Clinical Epidemiology, Peking University Third Hospital, No.49, Hua yuan bei lu Road, Beijing, 100191, China.
Nan LiResearch Center of Clinical Epidemiology, Peking University Third Hospital, No.49, Hua yuan bei lu Road, Beijing, 100191, China.
De-An ZhouAcupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated with Capital Medical University, No.23, Mei shu guan hou jie Road, Beijing, 100010, China.
Jia WeiAcupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated with Capital Medical University, No.23, Mei shu guan hou jie Road, Beijing, 100010, China.
Chen ZhangAcupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated with Capital Medical University, No.23, Mei shu guan hou jie Road, Beijing, 100010, China.
Capital Medical University · CNPeking University · CNPeking University People's Hospital · CN

Funding

Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals Clinical Medicine Development of Special Funding Support ZYLX201412Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Plaining 2014-2-2232Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission of China Z141107002514069National Basic Research Program of China under Grant 2014CB543203
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIdiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is a common form of deafness. Acupuncture has been used as a salvage therapy for ISSNHL in China since 200 BCE. However, the efficacy of acupuncture has not been confirmed in strictly controlled trials. We designed a randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and long-term effects of acupuncture in patients with early ISSNHL. METHODS/

designIn this randomized controlled clinical trial, we will enroll 124 participants with ISSNHL diagnosed 2 to 4 weeks prior to enrollment, who have shown little hearing improvement after routine Western medical treatment (i.e., corticosteroids). 62 of these participants will have flat audiogram and the other 62 will have a high-frequency drop audiogram; they will all take Methycobal while half of the flat type and half of the high-frequency drop type will also receive acupuncture treatments for 4 weeks in a four-group design. The primary outcome measure will be the effective rate of hearing improvement (defined as the proportion of patients with at least 15-dB improvement in the hearing loss frequency band). The secondary outcome will measure the improvements in Pure Tone Average, Word Recognition Score, and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. The assessments of the participants will be made at baseline, after treatment (week 4), and at follow-up (week 28). DISCUSSION: This study aims to explore the efficacy and long-term effects of acupuncture in patients with ISSNHL. This study will be a randomized controlled trial with strict methodology and few design deficits. If our study yields positive results, acupuncture could be recommended as a salvage therapy for patients with ISSNHL.

trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-ICR-15006787 . Registered on 12 July 2015.

Indexed as

Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicAcupuncture TherapyAdultAgedAudiometryHearing Loss, SensorineuralHumansMiddle AgedOutcome Assessment, Health CareQuality ControlResearch DesignAcupunctureFlatHigh frequencyISSNHLRandomized controlled trialStudy protocol

Identifiers

PMID29973265
PMCPMC6032598
OpenAlexW2810213473

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.