Observations on the Efficacy of Kidney-reinforcing Acupuncture as Main Treatment for Dysphagia after Cerebral Infarction

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of kidney-reinforcing acupuncture as main treatment for dysphagia after cerebral infarction.Methods One hundred and eighteen patients with dysphagia after cerebral infarction were randomly allocated to a treatment group of 62 cases and a control group of 56 cases.The treatment group received acupuncture plus basic treatment and swallowing rehabilitation strategies and the control group,basic treatment and swallowing rehabilitation strategies only.Results The total efficacy rate was 96.8% in the treatment group and 80.4% in the control group;there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups(P0.01).There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in the Bedside Swallowing Assessment Scale score,the Kubota's water drinking test score and the Dysphagia Severity Rating Scale score in both groups(P0.01).There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in the Bedside Swallowing Assessment Scale score,the Kubota's water drinking test score and the Dysphagia Severity Rating Scale score between the treatment and control groups(P0.01).Conclusion Kidney-reinforcing acupuncture is an effective way to treat dysphagia after cerebral infarction.