PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The efficacy and optimal frequency of acupuncture for hemifacial spasms (HFSs) in patients unresponsive or averse to standard treatment methods remains unestablished. Here, we administered acupuncture to a patient with HFSs who was dissatisfied with the outcomes of botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections as symptomatic treatment. A man in his 60s, experiencing frequent spasms in his left facial muscles since 2015, had received several BoNT injections without receiving microvascular decompression or medication; however, the treatment results were not satisfactory. In 2020, he visited our clinic for acupuncture. His entire face twitched involuntarily, and the other Babinski sign was observed. The spasm severity was 5 on the numerical rating scale (NRS). Acupuncture was performed on the gallbladder meridian (GB) 2, stomach meridian (ST) 7, and triple energizer meridian(TE) 17 along the facial nerve and GB14, GB1, small intestine meridian (SI) 18, ST4, ST5, and ST9 on the affected (left) side. In the fourth session, 1 Hz electroacupuncture at ST7 and TE17 reduced the NRS score to 1. As his spasms were well managed, we initially continued with biweekly acupuncture sessions. However, by the 10th session, a worsening of symptoms led to a revert to weekly treatment, which maintained a decreased NRS score until the 21st session. Our findings suggest that weekly acupuncture may be a viable treatment modality for patients with HFSs unresponsive or averse to conventional treatments. Future prospective clinical trials are required to verify the efficacy of acupuncture for HFSs.
摘要：
在对标准治疗方法无反应或厌恶的患者中，针刺治疗面肌痉挛（HFS）的疗效和最佳频率仍未确定。这里,我们对1例对注射肉毒杆菌毒素(BoNT)的结果不满意的HFS患者进行针灸对症治疗.一个60多岁的男人，自2015年以来，他的左面部肌肉经常痉挛，在没有接受微血管减压或药物治疗的情况下接受了多次BoNT注射;然而，治疗效果不理想。2020年，他访问了我们的针灸诊所。他整个脸都不由自主地抽搐着，另一个巴宾斯基标志被观察到了。在数字评定量表（NRS）上，痉挛的严重程度为5。沿面神经和GB14，GB1，小肠子午线（SI）18，ST4，ST5和ST9对胆囊子午线（GB）2，胃子午线（ST）7和三重能量子午线（TE）17进行针刺患侧（左）。在第四届会议上，ST7和TE17的1Hz电针将NRS评分降低到1。由于他的痉挛得到了很好的控制，我们最初继续每两周进行一次针灸治疗.然而,在第十届会议之前，症状恶化导致恢复每周治疗，在第21届会议之前，NRS得分一直下降。我们的发现表明，对于对常规治疗无反应或厌恶的HFS患者，每周针灸可能是一种可行的治疗方式。未来的前瞻性临床试验需要验证针灸治疗HFSs的疗效。
