Evidence mapPaperPMID 41858809Full record

ArticleJournal of pain research2026

Development of an Expert Consensus on Electroacupuncture for Trigeminal Neuralgia Using the Delphi Method: A Study Protocol.

Mo-Ran Xu, Ni-Sang Chen, Jun-Yi Wang, Dong Wang, Wei-Wei Fan, Ya-Bo Hao, Fan Liu, Zhang-Hui Yang, Ji Jiang, Kun Chen and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pain research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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

11 authors.

Mo-Ran Xu *The Third Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0009-0002-5267-0607
Ni-Sang Chen *The Third Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Jun-Yi WangThe Third Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Dong WangZhejiang Greentown Cardiovascular Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Wei-Wei FanPingyang Research Institute, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Ya-Bo HaoJiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Fan LiuZhejiang Greentown Cardiovascular Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Zhang-Hui YangZhejiang Greentown Cardiovascular Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Ji JiangZhejiang Greentown Cardiovascular Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Kun ChenPingyang Research Institute, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Yuan-Yuan WuThe Third Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-8884-0802

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Electroacupuncture (EA) is increasingly used in the management of trigeminal neuralgia (TN), yet treatment approaches vary widely across clinical practice. Standardized guidelines are currently lacking. This protocol describes a Delphi study designed to develop expert consensus on EA use for TN. Methods and Analysis: A multi-round Delphi process will be conducted with a multidisciplinary panel of clinicians in acupuncture, and neurology. Survey items will be developed from a systematic review, and experts will rate them to evaluate their relevance and level of agreement. Consensus will be determined using predefined criteria following the ACcurate COnsensus Reporting Document (ACCORD) guideline. Ethics and Dissemination: This protocol has received ethics approval from the relevant institutional review boards and has been registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF). The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and academic conferences. Conclusion: This study outlines a modified Delphi process designed to develop a structured expert consensus on the use of EA for TN. Its primary aim is to address the considerable heterogeneity in current EA practice by establishing a standardized framework for clinical and research parameters. Contribution to the Literature: This study addresses the lack of standardized recommendations for EA in TN and aims to provide structured expert guidance to support more consistent clinical practice.

Indexed as

Delphi methodelectroacupunctureexpert consensustrigeminal neuralgia

Identifiers

PMID41858809
PMCPMC12998663

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.