The influence of acupuncture on neural electrophysiology in treating facial paralysis

Objective To investigate the mechanism of acupuncture treatment of facial paralysis.Methods An auto-comparison was made in 48 facial paralysis patients between before and after acupuncture treatment.Neuro-myoelectric changes were observed by electromyography after acupuncture.Results Direct stimulation of the facial nerve: Evoked potential amplitude in the latent period was significantly different from that before acupuncture(P(0.05));nictitation reflex: R_1 and R_2 waves in the latent period were significantly different from those before acupuncture(P(0.01));R_1 evoked potential was significantly different from that before treatment(P(0.01));after acupuncture,the above indices were not significantly different from those on the healthy side(P(0.05)).Conclusion In treating facial paralysis,acupuncture significantly improves the electrophysiology of the injured facial nerve and restores it to a normal level.