Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38816482›Full record

Trial reportJournal of neurology2024

Electroacupuncture and carbamazepine for patients with trigeminal neuralgia: a randomized, controlled, 2 × 2 factorial trial.

Rongrong Li, Jing Sun, Kaitao Luo, Ning Luo, Ruohan Sun, Feng Gao, Yiyi Wang, Yunfan Xia, Xiaoyu Li, Lifang Chen and 4 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled TrialMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of neurology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03580317 (Electroacupuncture Therapy for Change of Pain in Classical Trigeminal Neuralgia), which is not on this map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–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.

NCT03580317 nacompletednot on this map

Electroacupuncture Therapy for Change of Pain in Classical Trigeminal Neuralgia

TypeinterventionalSponsorZhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityRan2018 to 2021Enrolled120ConditionsTrigeminal NeuralgiaArmsEA+ Carbamazepine, EA+Placebo, sham EA+Carbamazepine, sham EA+Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  13. 13. Trigeminal Neuralgia.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Rongrong Li *The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Jing Sun *The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Kaitao LuoJiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiaxing, China.
Ning LuoThe Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Ruohan SunThe Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Feng GaoJiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiaxing, China.
Yiyi WangThe Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Yunfan XiaThe Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Xiaoyu LiThe Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Lifang ChenThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Ruijie MaThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Xiaomei ShaoDepartment of Neurobiology and Acupuncture Research, Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Neurology of Zhejiang Province, 219 Moganshan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Yi LiangThe Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. liangyiwww@126.com.
Jianqiao FangThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China. fangjianqiao7532@163.com.

Funding

Zhejiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration No.2018ZY008
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTrigeminal neuralgia (TN) is difficult to treat due to its severe pain intensity and recurring episodes, which significantly impact quality of life.

objectivesWe aimed to assess the effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) in alleviating the pain intensity in TN, and to determine whether EA combined with low-dosage carbamazepine (CBZ) has a synergistic effect.

methodsA multi-centre, randomized, 2 × 2 factorial trial was conducted. Participants who met the inclusion criteria received active EA or sham EA for 60 min, three times a week for four weeks; CBZ (300 mg per day) or placebo for four weeks. The primary outcome was the change in visual analog scale (VAS) score from baseline to weeks 2, 4, 16, and 28. Secondary outcomes included quality of life and adverse events.

resultsA total of 120 participants (75 females and 45 males; mean (SD) age, 58.5 (15.3) years) were included. The main effects of EA and CBZ were significant (P < 0.001), and there was a significant interaction was identified between the interventions (P = 0.041). Participants who received EA (mean difference [MD], -0.3 [95% CI, -0.40 to -0.20] at week 2; -1.6 [-1.70 to -1.50] at week 4; -1.1 [-1.31 to -0.89] at week 16; -0.8 [-1.01 to -0.59] at week 28), CBZ (MD, -0.6 [95% CI, -0.70 to -0.50] at week 2; -0.9 [-1.03 to -0.77] at week 4, -0.2 [-0.41 to 0.01] at week 16, 0.2 [-0.01 to 0.41] at week 28), and the combination of both (MD, -1.8 [95% CI, -1.90 to -1.70] at week 2; -3.7 [-3.83 to -3.57] at week 4, -3.4 [-3.61 to -3.19] at week 16, -2.9 [-3.11 to -2.69] at week 28) had a greater reduction in VAS score over the treatment phase than their respective control groups (sham EA, placebo, and sham EA plus placebo). EA-related adverse events (6/59, 10.17%) were lower than that of CBZ (15/59, 25.42%) during the whole phases.

conclusionsEA or CBZ alone are effective treatments for TN, while the combination of EA and low-dosage CBZ exerts a greater benefit. These findings in this trial demonstrate that the combination of EA and low-dosage CBZ may be clinically effective under certain circumstances.

trial registrationNCT03580317.

Indexed as

Analgesics, Non-NarcoticCarbamazepineElectroacupunctureTrigeminal NeuralgiaAdultAgedCombined Modality TherapyDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementQuality of LifeTreatment OutcomeAnalgesics, Non-NarcoticCarbamazepineCarbarmazepineElectroacupunctureFactorial designRandomized controlled trialTrigeminal neuralgia

Identifiers

PMID38816482
PMCPMC11319385

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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 Socratic graph.