Trial reportMedicine2020
Acupuncture attenuates postoperative inflammation in patients after craniotomy: A prospective, open-label, controlled trial.
Trial report in Medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on major complications after cerebral endovascular procedures (ASSET): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.International journal of surgery protocols · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Ameliorates Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorder in Aged Mice by Inhibiting Ferroptosis Through the SIRT1/NRF2/GPX4 Pathway.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2026Article
- Acupuncture-Mediated Neuro-Immune Regulation in Musculoskeletal Pain: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Effect of Biodegradable Microneedle Acupuncture in Mild to Moderate Atopic Dermatitis: a single-blinded randomized controlled pilot trial.Journal of pharmacopuncture · 2025Article
- Additional Benefit of Intraoperative Electroacupuncture in Improving Tolerance of Deep Brain Stimulation Surgical Procedure in Parkinsonian Patients.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Effects of acupuncture on postoperative recovery and extubation time: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.Medicine · 2021Article
- Crosstalk between Acupuncture and NF-Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2020Review
- A Narrative Review of the Efficacy of Acupuncture in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Cancer Patients.Journal of evidence-based integrative medicineReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIt is important to manage inflammation after craniotomy. It may be prudent to reduce the excessive usage of antibiotics and to add supplementary treatments like acupuncture, which would be effective and safe. However, there are only a few studies available to date on the effects of acupuncture on anti-inflammatory response after craniotomy. The aim of this study was to explore the anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture in patients after a craniotomy.
methodsThis study was a single-center, prospective, open-label, controlled trial. Forty-four subjects who underwent craniotomy for an unruptured aneurysm, facial spasm, or brain tumor were allocated to either an acupuncture group or a control group. Both groups received postoperative routine care in the Department of Neurosurgery. The subjects in the acupuncture group also received a total of 6 acupuncture treatments sessions within 8 days after craniotomy. Acupuncture treatments included acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and intradermal acupuncture. The serum interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate levels were assessed four times within 7 days after surgery. The presence of fever, use of additional antibiotics, presence of infection including pneumonia or urinary tract infection, and safety were also reviewed.
resultsThe IL-1β levels of subjects who underwent aneurysmal clipping were significantly lower in the acupuncture group (P = .02). TNF-α levels of subjects who underwent aneurysmal clipping at the seventh postoperative day were also significantly lower in the acupuncture group (P = .03). Six cases of fever of unknown origin were observed in the control group, while none were seen in the acupuncture group, revealing that the incidence of fever was significantly lower in the acupuncture group (P = .02). No adverse events occurred during the trial.
conclusionAcupuncture showed a possibility of alleviating inflammation by attenuating the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and significantly reduced the incidence of fever of unknown origin in patients after craniotomy. Acupuncture would be suitable as an adjunctive therapy to alleviate inflammation after craniotomy.
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