Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40562426›Full record

Trial reportBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2025

Right C7 neurotomy at the intervertebral foramen plus intensive speech and language therapy versus intensive speech and language therapy alone for chronic post-stroke aphasia: multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Juntao Feng, Ruiping Hu, Minzhi Lyu, Xingyi Ma, Tie Li, Yuan Meng, Wenjun Qi, Haozheng Li, Ying Zhang, Shanshan Ding and 22 more

Erratum issuedAbstract readRandomized Controlled TrialMulticenter StudyComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. [Research advances in nerve transfer for upper limb function restoration: applications from peripheral nerve injury to central nervous system injury].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

32 authors.

Juntao FengDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Ruiping HuDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Minzhi LyuDepartment of Biostatistics of School of Public Health and Department of Cancer Prevention and Screening of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Xingyi MaDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Tie LiDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Yuan MengDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Wenjun QiDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Haozheng LiDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Ying ZhangDepartment of Rehabilitation, Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Shanshan DingDepartment of Rehabilitation, Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Zhiyu WangDepartment of Rehabilitation, Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Xiu'En ChenDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics, Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Jiejiao ZhengDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics, Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Yongqian FanDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics, Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Ling DingDepartment of Rehabilitation, Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Lihui WangDepartment of Rehabilitation, Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Zilong WeiDepartment of Rehabilitation, Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Xiaozhi ZhuDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Mingxuan GuoDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Kaixiang YangDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Wenshuo ChangInstitute of Linguistics, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China.
Jingrui YangDepartment of Hand and Upper Extremity, Department of Rehabilitation, Jing'an District Central Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Miaomiao XuDepartment of Hand and Upper Extremity, Department of Rehabilitation, Jing'an District Central Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China wendongxu@fudan.edu.cn.
Wen FangInstitute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Centre for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Ying LiuDepartment of Hand and Upper Extremity, Department of Rehabilitation, Jing'an District Central Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Yanqun QiuDepartment of Hand and Upper Extremity, Department of Rehabilitation, Jing'an District Central Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Huawei YinDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Jie JiaDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Yundong ShenDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Yizheng WangDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Yudong GuDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China.
Wendong XuDepartment of Hand Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, the National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 0China wendongxu@fudan.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0002-3085-5806

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate whether right neurotomy of the seventh cervical nerve (C7) at the intervertebral foramen plus intensive speech and language therapy (SLT) improves language function compared intensive SLT alone in patients with chronic aphasia after stroke.

designMulticentre, assessor blinded, randomised controlled trial.

settingFour centres in mainland China.

participants50 adults aged 40-65 years with aphasia for more than one year after a single left hemispheric stroke.

interventionsParticipants were randomised 1:1 to receive either C7 neurotomy plus three weeks of intensive SLT or three weeks of intensive SLT only, stratified by treatment centre.

main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was change in score on the 60 item Boston naming test (BNT, scores 0-60, with higher scores indicating better naming function) from baseline to one week after C7 neurotomy plus intensive SLT for three weeks or intensive SLT for three weeks after deferral for one week (control group). Secondary outcomes included change in severity of aphasia using the aphasia quotient, calculated using the western aphasia battery, and patient reported outcomes on quality of life and depression after stroke.

resultsFrom 25 July 2022 to 31 July 2023, 322 out of 1086 patients received a diagnosis of post-stroke aphasia and were screened for eligibility. 50 eligible participants were randomly assigned to treatment groups (25 in each). Mean increase in BNT score was 11.16 points in the neurotomy plus SLT group and 2.72 points in the control group at one month (difference 8.51 points, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.31 to 11.71, P<0.001). The between group difference in BNT score remained stable at six months (difference 8.26 points, 4.16 to 12.35, P<0.001). In addition, the aphasia quotient improved significantly in the neurotomy plus SLT group versus control group (difference at one month 7.06 points, 4.41 to 9.72, P<0.001), as did patient reported activities of daily living and post-stroke depression. No treatment related severe adverse events were reported.

conclusionsC7 neurotomy plus three weeks of intensive SLT was associated with a greater improvement in language function compared with three weeks of intensive SLT alone over a period of six months. No severe adverse events or long term troublesome symptoms or functional loss were reported.

trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Register ChiCTR2200057180.

Indexed as

AphasiaLanguage TherapyNeurosurgical ProceduresSpeech TherapyStrokeStroke RehabilitationAdultAgedChinaChronic DiseaseFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID40562426
PMCPMC12189313

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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.