Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40020132›Full record

ReviewMedicine2025

Integrative Korean medicine treatment without surgery for the management of subacute radiating pain attributed to vertebral artery loop formation: A case report and literature review.

Jung Min Yun, Dong Hyun Go, Sook-Hyun Lee

Abstract readCase ReportsReview
In one paragraph

Review in Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

3 authors.

Jung Min YunDepartment of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation, Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Dong Hyun GoDepartment of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation, Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Sook-Hyun LeeJaseng Spine and Joint Research Institute, Jaseng Medical Foundation, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleVertebral artery loop formation (VALF) compresses the adjacent cervical nerve root, resulting in cervical radiculopathy at the affected level. Neurosurgical interventions for anatomical separation are typically employed to relieve the symptoms, regardless of their duration. We herein report the management of the subacute symptoms of a rare case of cervical radiculopathy attributed to VALF using integrative Korean medicine (iKM) treatment without surgery. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 54-year-old male patient presenting with a chief complaint of headache radiating to the posterior cervical and right scapular regions was treated with a 4-day program of inpatient care. DIAGNOSES: Based on the findings of the cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging, the patient was diagnosed with VALF on the right side at the C3/C4 level.

interventionsHe underwent iKM treatment comprising acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, Chuna therapy, and herbal medicine. OUTCOMES: Significant improvement was noted in the patient's condition (neck pain Numeric Rating Scale scores of 5, 4, and 1; Neck Disability Index scores of 35.56, 20, and 4; and EuroQol 5-dimension index scores of 0.754, 0.787, and 0.862 at admission, discharge, and the 2-month follow-up, respectively; Patient Global Impression of Change scores of 3 and 1 at discharge and the 2-month follow-up, respectively). LESSONS: This case report suggests that iKM treatment may be effective for subacute VALF symptoms without requiring surgery.

Indexed as

Integrative MedicineMedicine, Korean TraditionalNeck PainRadiculopathyVertebral ArteryAcupuncture TherapyCervical VertebraeHumansMaleMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID40020132
PMCPMC11875575

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.