Thoracic paravertebral nerve block combined with acupuncture for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia in the chest and abdomen: A prospective randomized controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether combining acupuncture with thoracic paravertebral nerve block and drug treatment improves pain relief, quality of life, and sleep quality in elderly patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).
Results Summary
The study found that combining acupuncture with thoracic paravertebral nerve block and drug treatment (group C) resulted in a significantly higher effective rate (91.43%) compared to nerve block alone (77.14%) or drug treatment alone (51.43%). Group C also showed better pain relief, improved quality of life, and enhanced sleep quality.
Population
Elderly patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).
Effective Dosage
Not specified (acupuncture details not provided).
Duration
12 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
oral gabapentin capsules and external lidocaine gel plaster | increase | effective rate | patients with PHN | 51.43% | total effective rate of treatment | #1 |
thoracic paravertebral nerve block combined with oral gabapentin capsules and external lidocaine gel plaster | increase | effective rate | patients with PHN | 77.14% | total effective rate of treatment | #2 |
thoracic paravertebral nerve block combined with acupuncture and oral gabapentin capsules and external lidocaine gel plaster | increase | effective rate | patients with PHN | 91.43% | total effective rate of treatment | #3 |
thoracic paravertebral nerve block combined with acupuncture and oral gabapentin capsules and external lidocaine gel plaster | decrease | pain | elderly with PHN | - | relieve pain | #4 |
thoracic paravertebral nerve block combined with acupuncture and oral gabapentin capsules and external lidocaine gel plaster | increase | quality of life | patients with PHN | - | improve the quality of life | #5 |
thoracic paravertebral nerve block combined with acupuncture and oral gabapentin capsules and external lidocaine gel plaster | increase | sleep quality | patients with PHN | - | improve the quality of sleep | #6 |
BACKGROUND: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of varicella-zoster infection and tends to occur in older people. All patients treated with a single regimen have not achieved consistent success across all current study protocols, and multimodal combination regimens still need to be explored. METHODS: A total of 111 patients with PHN were randomly divided into drug group (group A), thoracic paravertebral nerve block group (group B), thoracic paravertebral nerve block combined with acupuncture group (group C), with 37 cases in each group. Group A: received oral gabapentin capsules and external lidocaine gel plaster; group B: combined with thoracic paravertebral nerve block based on group A; group C: combined with acupuncture based on group B. The primary outcome was effective rate, and secondary outcomes included pain sensation score (numerical rating scale), SF-36 quality of life score, and sleep quality. RESULTS: Before treatment, there were no significant differences in numerical rating scale value, SF-36 quality of life score, and sleep quality level among the 3 groups (P > .05). After 12 weeks of treatment, the total effective rate of treatment of patients in group C (91.43%) was higher than that in group B (77.14%), and significantly higher than that in group A (51.43%) (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Based on drug treatment combined with thoracic paravertebral nerve block and acupuncture, the treatment of PHN in the elderly can quickly and effectively relieve pain, improve the quality of life of patients, and improve the quality of sleep.