Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 1990 ; 15(2): 92-6.

[Application of acupuncture anesthesia during craniocerebral operation in temporo-fronto-occipital region]

Yan H, Jiang C.

Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical University.

The paper reports 174 cases of brain operations in temporo-fronto-occipital region by using the regime of combined acupuncture and medication. The patients comprised of 122 males and 52 females. The acupoints consisted of ear needling and body needling. Adjuvant drugs used were half-dosage Innovar and 0.1% lidocaine for scalp infiltration. According to the documented two-grade scaling criteria, 97.1% patients belonged to grade I. No obvious discrepancy existed between ear needling group and body needling one. Three controlled groups are presented for comparison: 1) 0.1% lidocaine alone; 2) acupuncture plus normal saline; 3) acupuncture plus 0.1% lidocaine. The resultant P value was less than 0.005, with remarkable statistical significance. It is revealed that 0.1% lidocaine per se cannot achieve satisfactory analgesia, whereas the efficacy of acupuncture can be greatly enhanced by the combination of 0.1% lidocaine and acupuncture. This method is proved as an effectual means to offset the incomplete analgesia of acupuncture, especially for those requiring intraoperative demonstration of surgical effects, to avoid impairment to functional areas of cerebral cortex, which are undoubtedly superior to general anesthesia.