Study Diagnosis criteria Sample size (I/C) Characteristics of participants (genders, ages, courses of disease); I/C Intervention Frequency and treatment course Control Duration of one session Main outcomes Chen 2013 [40 ] Rome III 30/30 12M/18F 14M/16F MA (CV12; ST36, PC6, LR3 of both sides; CV17) Once daily, 5/w for 4 w Itopride hydrochloride tablets (50 mg taken orally three times a day, 30 min before each meal) 30 min Symptom scores; SF-36; ineffective rate Hu 2012 [41 ] Rome III 34/36 12M/22F 16M/20F EA (CV12; ST25, PC6, ST36 of both sides) Once daily, 5/w for 4 w Itopride hydrochloride tablets (50 mg taken orally three times a day, 30 min before each meal) 30 min NDI (NDLQI); symptom scores; SF-36; ineffective rate Jin 2011 [42 ] Rome III 28/28 11M/17F 10M/18F MA (ST36, KI3 of both sides) Every other day, 3~4/w for 4 w Sham MA (nonacupoints, different area of innervation with the main acupoints of MA group) No retention. If no “de-qi,” retain for 20–60 min Symptom scores; SF-36 Li 2014 [43 ] Rome III 35/36 12M/23F 13M/23F EA (ST36, PC6 of one side; switch the sides each time) Once daily, 5/w for 4 w Sham EA (nonacupoints, three points in upper limbs and one near ST36) 30 min NDI (NDSI, NDLQI) Liu 2015 [44 ] Rome III 34/34 19M/15F 18M/16F MA (CV12; PC6, LR14, ST25, ST36, LR3, LR2 of both sides) Once daily, 7/w for 2 w Domperidone (10 mg taken orally three times a day, 30 min before each meal) 30 min Symptom scores; ineffective rate Ma et al. 2014 [45 ] Rome III 32/29 17M/15F 13M/16F EA (CV12; ST25, ST36 of both sides) Once daily, 6/w for 2 w Sham 30 min NDI (NDSI, NDLQI); symptom scores; SF-36; ineffective rate Park et al. 2009 [46 ] Rome II 34/34 8M/26F 6M/28F MA (LI4, LR3, ST36, PC6, SP4 of both sides; CV12) Once daily, 3/w for 2 w Sham EA (nonacupoints, 1 cm away from the classical acupoints of MA group) 15 min NDI (NDSI, NDLQI) Shiu et al. 2014 [47 ] Rome III 40/40 22M/18F 19M/21F MA (SP6, SP9, SJ6 of both sides) Once daily, 7/w for 3 w Mosapride citrate dispersible tablets (5 mg taken orally three times a day) 30 min Symptom scores; ineffective rate Tang et al. 2006 [48 ] Rome II 32/30 15M/17F 14M/16F MA (ST36, ST44, LR3, PC6, BL20, BL21, BL18 of both sides; CV12) Once daily for 3 courses; 10 d/course Domperidone (10 mg taken orally three times a day, 30 min before each meal) 30 min Symptom scores; ineffective rate Wang et al. 2015 [49 ] Rome III 36/41 14M/22F 12M/29F EA (ST42, ST40, ST36, ST34 of both sides) Once daily, 5/w for 4 w Sham EA (nonacupoints, three in upper limbs and one near ST36) 30 min Symptom scores; SF-36 Wang et al. 2012 [50 ] Rome III 34/34 10M/24F 8M/26F MA (ST36, PC6 of both sides) Once daily, 5/w for 4 w Sham EA (nonacupoints, near the main acupoints of MA group) 30 min NDI (NDSI, NDLQI); ineffective rate Xu et al. 2015 [51 ] National 47/46 21M/25F 20M/27F MA (PC6, ST36, ST25 of both sides; CV6, CV10, CV12, CV13, EX-HN3, DU24, DU20) Once daily, 5/w for 4 w Domperidone (10 mg taken orally three times a day, 15 min before each meal) 30 min NDI (NDLQI); symptom scores; ineffective rate Yang 2009 [52 ] Rome III 40/40 18M/22F 21M/19F EA (ST42, ST40, ST36, ST34 of both sides) Once daily, 5/w for 4 w Itopride hydrochloride tablets (50 mg taken orally three times a day, 30 min before each meal) 30 min Symptom scores; ineffective rate Yu 2010 [53 ] Rome III 116/119/119 33M/82F 34M/83F EA (ST42, ST40, ST36, ST34 of both sides) Once daily, 5/w for 4 w Sham EA (nonacupoints, three in upper limbs and one near ST36) 30 min NDI; symptom scores; ineffective rate Zhang 2009 [54 ] Rome III 24/24 13M/11F 14M/10F EA (CV12; BL21 of both sides; ST36 of one side) Once daily, 5/w for 4 w Itopride hydrochloride tablets (50 mg taken orally three times a day, 30 min before each meal) 30 min Symptom scores; SF-36; ineffective rate Zhao et al. 2015 [55 ] Rome III 60/60 28M/32F 25M/35F EA (LR3, ST36, ST25, BL21, SP9 of both sides at specific time according to “midnight-noon ebb-flow” theory) Once daily, 3/w for 2 w Itopride hydrochloride tablets (5 mg taken orally three times a day) 30 min Ineffective rate
