The Values of Myocardial Perfusion SPECT Imaging in Evaluating Efficacy of Acupuncture Therapy at Neiguan (PC6) and Xinshu (BL15) in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

Objectives: It is common to believe that acupuncture is valid measure for pain control. In fact it is an active medical modality which is used to treat lots of medical problems in some Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan and China. Recently, more and more clinical trials show that acupuncture can help people with heart disease. This study was sought to assess whether acupuncture therapy at Neiguan (PC6) and Xinshu (BL15) in coronary heart disease (CHD) could increase the myocardial ischemia/perfusion and recover heart functions through single photon emission computed tomography ( SPECT) imaging. Furthermore, we compared the effects of acupuncture therapy with those of treating with nitroglycerine. Methods: 63 patients was diagnosed as CHD were randomly divided into two groups: one group received acupuncture (n=35 ) and the other group received nitroglycerine (n=28 cases). Firstly, the Myocardial Perfusion SPECT Imaging were performed during routine exercises or drug load in those two group injected with 740 MBq 99mTc-MIBI. Then, patients in the acupuncture group were electro-acupunctured at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) and Xinshu (BL15) for 30 min with the frequency of 2/15 Hz and the current strength 9-18 mA after Myocardial Perfusion Imaging performed during routine exercises or drug load. Then 99mTc-MIBI 370 MBq was injected once more 15 min after needling. The myocardial imaging was obtained 15 min after needling once more. And patients in the nitroglycerine group were asked to sublingual administration of nitroglycerine 1 mg after the myocardial primary perfusion imaging was obtained. 99mTc-MIBI 370 MBq was intravenously injected 5 min later, and myocardial perfusion imaging was conducted again 5 min after injection. RESULTS: Both acupuncture (89/127, 70.1%) and sublingual administration (72/93, 77.4%) of nitroglycerine could increase the blood perfusion of ischemic myocardium. And there was statistical difference in augments of radioactive uptake of ischemic myocardium between before and after therapy in both the acupuncture group (t = 3.087, P < 0.01) and sublingual administration (t = 5.937, P < 0.01). But there was no statistical difference were observed in the improvement of ischemic myocardial cells and recovery of left heart function between the two groups(t = 1.57, P > 0.05). Conclusions: Acupuncture could obtain the same therapeutic effects as nitroglycerine. Both of them increased the blood perfusion of ischemic myocardium and recovery the func