Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32256909›Full record

ReviewPain research & management2020

Is Acupuncture Another Good Choice for Physicians in the Treatment of Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome? Review of the Latest Literature.

Junjun Li, Liang Dong, Xuhong Yan, Xiaozhang Liu, Ying Li, Xujun Yu, Degui Chang

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Pain research & management, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 10% 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

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The Role of ButirprostMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025
    Trial
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  4. Review
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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

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Junjun LiHospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0002-2956-9079
Liang DongThe Reproductive & Women-Children Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0002-6628-2106
Xuhong YanHospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4329-1325
Xiaozhang LiuThe Reproductive & Women-Children Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7361-9734
Ying LiThe Reproductive & Women-Children Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0002-6441-6860
Xujun YuHospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0002-5620-6783
Degui ChangHospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0003-1118-6907
Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). A search of PUBMED, EMBASE, Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, Chinese Biomedicine Literature (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wang-Fang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), and other available resources was made for studies (up to February 2019). Searches were limited to studies published in English and Chinese. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to the efficacy and/or safety of acupuncture for CP/CPPS were included. Two investigators independently evaluated the quality of the studies. A total of 11 studies were included, involving 748 participants. The results revealed that compared with sham acupuncture (MD: -6.53 [95% CI: -8.08 to -4.97]) and medication (MD: -4.72 [95% CI: -7.87 to -1.56]), acupuncture could lower total NIH-CPSI score more effectively. However, there are no significant differences between acupuncture and sham acupuncture in terms of IPSS score. In terms of NIH-CPSI voiding domain subscore, no significant differences were found between acupuncture and medication. Compared with sham acupuncture (OR: 0.12 [95% CI: 0.04 to 0.40) and medication (OR: 3.71 [95% CI: 1.83 to 7.55]), the results showed favorable effects of acupuncture in improving the response rate. Acupuncture plus medication is better than the same medication in improving NIH-CPSI total score and NIH-CPSI pain domain subscore. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that acupuncture may be an effective intervention for patients with CP/CPPS. However, due to the heterogeneity of the methods and high risk of bias, we cannot draw definitive conclusions about the entity of the acupuncture's effect on alleviating the symptoms of CP/CPPS. The adverse events of acupuncture are mild and rare.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyAdultChinaChronic PainHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain ManagementPelvic PainProstatitis

Identifiers

PMID32256909
PMCPMC7085851
OpenAlexW3012374666

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.