Acupuncture Treatment for Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Table 1

Characteristics of the included RCTs for pelvic pain.

First author, year	Type of conditions related to pelvic pain	sample size; (randomized//analysed)	Experimental group; (intervention, regimen)	Control group; (intervention, regimen)	Outcome measures	Main results	AEs
Amin, 2015 [11]	n.r.	127/117	(A) Electro-acupuncture, n=55, 12 sessions (2 times per week for 6 weeks)	(B) CT (inferior hypogastric plexus blockade), n=62, 1 sessions	(1) VAS; (2) TER for chronic pelvic pain	(1) Significant difference in and; (2) (B) better than (A)	None
Li, 2016[12]	Pelvic adhesion	96/96	(A) WA (using moxibustion) + CT (physical therapy), n=47, 10 sessions (1 times per day for 10 days)	(B) CT (physical therapy), n=49, 10 sessions (1 times per day for 10 days)	(1) NRS; (2) TER for chronic pelvic pain	(1) Positiv; (2) Positiv	n.r.
Liu, 2012 [13]	Pelvic; inflammatory disease	101/101	(A) WA (using moxibustion) + CT (cefuroxime axetil), n=48, 7 sessions for WAT (1 times per day for 7 days) and 14 sessions for CM (2 times per day for 7 days)	(B) CT (cefuroxime axetil), n=53, 14 sessions (2 times per day for 7 days)	(1) TER for chronic pelvic pain	(1) Positiv	n.r.
Xiao, 2013[14]	Pelvic; inflammatory disease	160/160	(A) TET + AA, n=100, 2 sessions for TEF (1 times per 4 weeks for 8 weeks) and 8 sessions for AA (1 times per week for 8 weeks)	(B) CT (levofloxacin capsule), n=60, 2 sessions (2 times for week)	(1) TER for chronic pelvic pain	(1) Positiv	n.r.

< 0.05; < 0.01; < 0.001
AA: auricular acupuncture; AEs: adverse events; CT: conventional treatment; n.r.: not reported; NRS: Numerical Rating Scale; NS: no significant difference; QOL: quality of life; TET: thread embedding therapy; VAS: visual analogue scale; WA: warm acupuncture.