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| Ref. | Patients | Age | Types of epilepsy | Acupuncture methods and Acupoints | Therapeutic assessment | Outcome |
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[36] | 114 cases and 8 healthy control | Mean 19 yrs. (6–68) with a history of epilepsy for 1 mo.–35 yr. | Various (Grand mal, petit mal, focal, abdominal pain induced, psychomotor induced, mixed) | Scalp acupuncture (thoracic region, motor region, chorea and parkinsonism control region, foot motor sensory region, optic region)
Body acupuncture (HT-7, LR-3, GV-26, GV-20, GB-20, LI-4, ST-36) | EEG;
bell sound and verbal suggestion;
response to pinching of the neck skin | 72.6% with EEG changes mainly as asynchronism (reduction or cessation of epileptic discharges) |
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[37] | 98 cases | Mean 27 yrs. (2–52) with a history of epilepsy for Ave. 17 yr. | Not specified (epileptic attack or EEG confirmed epilepsy) | Scalp acupuncture (Motor area, psychic area, sensory area)
Once daily for 15 days as a session, 2-3 sessions in total, 7-day break between sessions, needle retention 30 min | Markedly effective (>75% seizure frequency reduction, or seizure controlled)
Effective (50–75% reduction, seizure less severe and interval prolonged)
Slightly effective (25–50% reduction)
No effect (<25% reduction) | 66.3% markedly effective; 23.5% effective; 5.1% effective; 5.1% no effect
The overall effective rate is 89.8% |
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[38] | 8 cases | 5–16 yrs with a history of epilepsy for 1 mo.–7 yr. | Status epilepticus | Manual acupuncture (LI-4, LR-3, Gv-26, GV-20, KI-1, EX-UE-11, PC-5, HT-7, RN-4, ST-40, EX-HN-3, GB-20, SP-6) | Symptoms (unconscious, white form in mouth, cyanotic face, spastic and convulsive in limbs, short, quick breath with occasional stops, sputum in throat, uncontrolled urine) | Symptoms controlled with 10 min of acupuncture without relapse in 2–8 yr. followup |
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[39] | 78 cases | Mean 24.7 yr. (17–39 yr.) | narcotic abstinence-induced seizures | Manual acupuncture
Acupoint: PC-6
Once daily for 10 days, needle retention 30 min with 2 times of stimulation
| Markedly effective (the symptoms of drug addiction and abstaining-induced seizures disappear, and no relapse in 6 mo.)
Effective (alleviated symptoms, occasional relapse in 1 mo.)
No effect (no relief of symptoms, tranquilizer needed for control of symptoms) | 70.51% markedly effective; 23.08% effective; 6.41% no effect
The overall effective rate is 93.59% |
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[40] | 129 cases (64-catgut implantation group, 65-AED controls) | Mean 21.8 ± 12.0 yrs with a history of epilepsy for Ave. 7.4 yr. | General tonic-clonic epilepsy | Combined catgut implantation and small dose AED (GV-20, BL-18, ST-40, EX-B-9, CV-15, GB-34, BL-15)
One time of implantation in every 25–30 days as a session for 4-5 sessions in total | Controlled (>92% of therapeutic efficacy percentile, no relapse),
Markedly effective (70–92% of therapeutic efficacy percentile, 75% seizure frequency reduction)
Effective (40–70% of therapeutic efficacy percentile, 50% seizure frequency reduction),
Slightly effective (20–40% of therapeutic efficacy percentile, 25–50% seizure frequency reduction)
no effect (<20% of therapeutic efficacy percentile, <25% seizure frequency reduction) | 28.12% (versus 16.92% for control) controlled;
43.75% (versus 33.85%) markedly effective;
21.88% 9 (versus 35.38%) effective; 4.69% (versus 10.77%) slightly effective; 1.56% (versus 3.08%) not effective
The overall effective rate is 93.75% (versus 86.15% for control) |
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[41] | 290 cases (160-acupoint catgut embedding group, and 130-acupuncture group) | 1–48 Yrs with a history of epilepsy for 10 d–21 yr. | Mixed epilepsy | Acupoint catgut embedding, acupuncture
Primary acupoints:
For catgut embedding-BL-14 penetrating to BL-15, BL-18 to BL-19, BL-20 to BL-21, EX-B-9
For acupuncture: CV-15, GV-20, EX-B-9, PC-5, ST-40
Secondary acupoints (same for two treatments): BL-12 + GV-20; or ST-36 +ST-34; or ST-40 + ST-36; or BL-17 + SP-10; or BL-23 + GV-4
One time of implantation in every 20 days as a session for 6 sessions in total
For acupuncture, 1 time every other day for 6 mo., needle retention 20 min with stimulation 1 time per 5–10 min | Markedly effective (>75% seizure frequency reduction or no relapse in 1 yr.)
Effective (50–75% seizure frequency reduction),
improved (25–50% seizure frequency reduction),
No effect (<25% seizure frequency reduction) | The total effective rate is 89.4% and 77.7% for catgut embedding and acupuncture group, respectively |
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[42] | 120 cases | 1.5–55 yrs with a history of epilepsy for 2 mo.–36 yr. | Various (Grand mal, petit mal, focal, abdominal pain induced, psychomotor induced, traumatic, mixed) | Primary acupoints: GV-20, DU-11, EX-B-9
Secondary acupoints: 1: GV-26 + GV-20, PC-6, LI-4, LR-3; 2: ST-36, BL-15, BL-18, BL-20, BL-23; + ST-40 or BL-62 or KI-6.
Once daily for 10 days as a session, 3 sessions in total, 3–5-day break between sessions, needle retention 30 min with stimulation 1 time per 10 min | Same as Shi et al., 1987 [37] | 71.7% markedly effective; 23.3% effective; 3.3% effective; 1.7% no effect
The overall effective rate is 98.3% |
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[43] | 60 cases (30-acupuncture + Xi Feng capsule group, and 30-Xi Feng capsul controls) | <5 yr–16 yrs with a history of epilepsy for < 1 yr–15 yr. | Tonic-clonic epilepsy | Combined acupuncture with Xi Feng capsule
Acupoints include GV-26, GV-20, GB-20, PC-6, LR-3, ST-36
Once daily for 8 days as a session, 2 sessions in total, 2-day break between sessions, needle retention 30 min with stimulation 1 time per 10 min | Markedly effective (>75% reduction of seizure duration, >4 reduction of epileptic EEG score)
Effective (50–75% reduction of seizure duration, 2–4 reduction of epileptic EEG score)
No effect (<50% reduction of seizure duration, <2 reduction of epileptic EEG score) | 96.7% (versus 90% for control) overall effective rate in seizure frequency reduction, 80% (versus 60%) in reduction of seizure duration, and 92.3% (versus 88.5%) in EEG improvement |
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[44] | 60 cases (30-acupuncture group, and 30-AED controls) | Mean 65 yrs
(40–70 yrs) | Epilepsy secondary to cerebral infarction (focal and general tonic-clonic) | Combined acupuncture and Chinese herb
Acupoints include three acupoints on back created by the author (Shaofeng Guo)
1 time daily for 14 days as a session, 2 sessions in total | Controlled (no relapse)
Markedly effective (>75% seizure frequency reduction)
Effective (50–75% seizure frequency reduction)
No effect (<50% seizure frequency reduction, or increased) | The overall effective rate is 93.3% (versus 80% for control)
No adverse responses (mild dizziness, hypomnesia, limb numbness, weight loss and lassitude that showed in AED treatment control) appear |
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[45] | 90 cases (30-acupuncture group, 30-catgut implantation group, 30-AED controls) | Mean age 35.02, 33.56 and 31.79 yrs, in acupuncture, catgut, and control groups, respectively, with a history of epilepsy for Ave. 7.96, 7.30, and 7.68 yr for acupuncture, catgut implantation, and control, respectively | General tonic-clonic epilepsy | Acupuncture and catgut implantation
Primary acupoints include 1: GV-20 + GV-8 + ST-40; 2: BL-15 + BL-18 + GB-34; 3: BL-15 + BL-19 + LI-14
Secondary acupoints include BL-19, GB-20, BL-17, BL-21, BL-23
For catgut embedding, 1 time of embedding in every 15 days for 3 mo
For acupuncture, 1 time every other day for 3 mo., needle retention 30 min with stimulation 1 time per 5–10 min | Same as Deng et al., 2001 [40] | The overall effective rate is 93.33%, 86.67%, and 76.67% for catgut implantation, acupuncture group, and control, respectively |
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[46] | 100 cases (50-catgut implantation group, 50-AED controls) | Mean age 30.25 (versus 33.20 in controls) with a history of epilepsy for Ave. 7.71 (versus 7.33 for control) yr. | General paroxysmal epilepsy | Catgut implantation
Acupoints and treatment as same as Zhang et al., 2006 [45] | Same as Deng et al., 2001 [40], Zhang et al., 2006 [45] | The overall effective rate is 94.0% and 82.0% for catgut implantation group and control, respectively |
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[47] | 98 cases | 12–63 yrs with a history of epilepsy for 5 mo.–20 yr. | Jacksonian epilepsy | Penetrating needling together with scalp acupuncture and strong/electric needling on body points
GV-14 penetrating to GV-10, GV-9 to GV-8, GV-6 to GV-4, EX-B9 to GV-1, GV-24 to GV-22, GV-20 to GV-19, CV-15 to CV-12
Bilateral PC-6, ST-40, LR-3, and MS-6
Intermittent dense-loose waves with 2-3 Hz for 30–45 min every other day for 10 times as a session with a total 2 sessions and a break of 3–5 days between 2 sessions | Same as Shi et al., 1987 [37] | The total effective rate is 85.7% |
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[48] | 80 cases (40-catgut implantation group and 40-herbal medicine controls) | 6–52 yrs with a history of epilepsy for 1–15 yr. | Grand mal,
petit mal,
and mixed | Combined catgut implantation and herbal medicine
Acupoints include GV-20, EX-B9, PC-6, CV-15 + ST-40 for phlegm, or + CV-12 for abdominal pain, or + BL-23 for uncontrolled urine
1 time of catgut implantation in every 20–30 days for 6 times | Same as Mao and Guo, 2005 [44] | The overall effective rate is 97.5% and 85.0% for catgut implantation group and control, respectively |
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[49] | 70 cases (36 combined acupuncture and AED group, 34 AED only controls) | 6 mo.–6 yr with a history of epilepsy for 1 day | Infantile febrile convulsion | Combined acupuncture and AED
Acupoints include GV-26, + KI-1, LI-11, LI-4, and LU-11 for cessation of spasm, or + PC-6 and ST-36 for cessation of vomit | Rapidly effective: spasms cease within 1-2 min of treatment
Basically effective: spasms cease in 3-4 min of treatment
Ineffective: spasms cease in >5 min of treatment
Relapse: >2 times of spasms during 1–3 days of treatment
Non relapse: no relapse during 1–3 days of treatment | 77.7% (versus 23.5% for control) rapidly effective; 8.3% (versus 55.9%) basically effective; 13.9% (versus 20.6%) ineffective
The overall effective rate is 86.1% (versus 79.4% for control)
Relapse rate is 8.3% (versus 32.4% for control) |
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