Effect of EA Combined With NGF on Limb Function in Convalescent Patients With Ischemic Stroke

Effect of Electroacupuncture Combined With NGF on Limb Function in Convalescent Patients With Ischemic Stroke

Most ischemic stroke patients are in recovery phase, often accompanied by motor impairment, but they lack effective treatment. The appearance of nerve growth factor (NGF) promotes the development of neuroprotective therapy, but it has little effect on stroke because of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Electroacupuncture (EA) has been used for stroke, while there is no significant clinical effect for recovery phrase. Consequently, we will conduct a multicentre, randomised, controlled, assessor-blinded clinical trial to assess the effectiveness and safety of EA combined with NGF treatment on ischemic stroke recovery.

Inclusion Criteria:

• people with first-ever ischemic stroke confirmed by CT or/and MRI;
• 14 days to 6 months after stroke onset;
• 50 years≤aged≤80 years;
• 3≤modified Rankin Score (mRS)≤4;
• Patients can accept treatment with EA and have good compliance;
• Patients have clear consciousness, pain perception and resolution ability to complete basic communication;
• willing to participate and be randomized to one of the groups.

Exclusion Criteria:

• transient ischemic attack, subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage and other cerebrovascular diseases;
• severe heart, liver, kidney dysfunction and severe coagulation dysfunction; cerebral infarction caused by repeated recurrence of stroke, brain surgery or trauma, and brain tumors;
• severe neurological deficits before stroke, such as visual and auditory impairment, aphasia, agnosia, severe hemiplegia, or affected limb function before stroke, such as cerebral palsy, polio, fracture, and mRs≥1;
• diseases with affecting cognitive function such as congenital dementia, or alcohol, drug or substance abuse ;
• lactation, pregnancy or intend to be pregnant within 6 months;
• needlesickness, needle phobia and skin infection at acupuncture site;
• pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator carriers or conductive metallic foreign bodies in the body;
• allergy to NGF;
• currently enrolled in another clinical trial or participation in other clinical trials within the last 3 months.