Acupuncture in the treatment of paralysis in chronic and acute stroke patients--improvement correlated with specific CT scan lesion sites.

A total of 20 stroke patients received acupuncture, including 10 chronic and 10 acute patients; 19 of the 20 patients (95%) could be correctly classified regarding beneficial response to acupuncture, versus poor response, based on CT scan lesion site data, alone. Patients with beneficial response had damage to less than half of the motor pathway areas on CT scan, especially in the periventricular white matter area (PVWM) at the level of the body of the lateral ventricle. Overall, 8 of the 20 patients receiving acupuncture had beneficial response with measurable objective improvement in motor function, including 3 of the 10 chronic patients treated at > 3 months poststroke, and 5 of the 10 acute patients treated at < 3 months poststroke. Among the 8 patients with beneficial response, significant improvements were observed in knee flexion, knee extension, and shoulder abduction. Neither age, nor months poststroke when acupuncture was begun, was significantly correlated with the total number of improved tests, post-acupuncture. Two chronic patients with beneficial response first began receiving acupuncture at 3 years and 6 years poststroke. Most improvements were sustained for at least 4 months after the last acupuncture treatment.