Acupuncture for symptomatic relief of gastroparesis in a diabetic haemodialysis patient.

a diabetic haemodialysis patient with refractory gastroparesis treated with 16 sessions of acupuncture through 8 weeks as an adjunct to conventional drug treatment including prokinetics and antiemetics which remained the same during the treatment course. After the treatment, the total Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) score (range 0-5) was reduced from 2.4 to 0.6 and half gastric emptying time measured by gastric scintigraphy with a solid meal was decreased from 135 to 93 min. At a 4-month follow-up after treatment, the patient reported complete reduction of subjective symptoms. We suggest that acupuncture may be an acceptable adjunct to the comprehensive care of gastroparesis in diabetic haemodialysis patients.