Abstract
In this study, we attempted to investigate the result of brain blood flow following acupuncture therapy for the treatment of severe phantom limb pain in a patient with left above-elbow amputation. Seven sessions of acupuncture therapy were given. The pain intensity was evaluated at each visit on a 0-10 visual analogue scale (VAS), Technetium-99m hexamethyl- propyleneamine oxime single photon emission computerized tomography (HMPAO- SPECT) was performed to measure cerebral blood flow before the initial acupuncture therapy and the next morning following the 2nd and also the 6th acupuncture therapy. The study before the initial acupuncture therapy showed normal cerebral blood perfusion to the entire cerebral region including the bilateral thalami and brain stem The study after the second acupuncture therapy showed hypoperfusion to the bilateral thalami and brain stem. The third study obtained a result similar to the second one it appears that this technique shows a relationship between the relief of phantom pain and the perfusion to the thalamus and brain stem.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 247-253 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | American Journal of Acupuncture |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - 1996 |
Keywords
- Acupuncture
- HMPAO-SPECT
- nuclear medicine
- phantom limb pain
- radiopharmaceuticals
- regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF)
- technetium- 99m