Thread Embedding vs. Electroacupuncture for Post-Stroke Aphasia

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Efficacy of Thread Embedding and Electroacupuncture in Speech-Language Rehabilitation in Patients With Post-Stroke Aphasia

The goal of this clinical trial was to learn if thread embedding or electroacupuncture can treat language function impairment in patients with post-stroke aphasia, a condition affecting communication after a stroke. The main questions it aimed to answer were:

Does thread embedding improve overall language function more effectively than electroacupuncture, as measured by the Goodglass and Kaplan Aphasia Severity Rating Scale (ASRS)? How do thread embedding and electroacupuncture compare in improving specific language skills, such as motor speech, sensory language, reading, and naming, as assessed by the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE)? Researchers compared thread embedding (TE group) to electroacupuncture (EA group) to see if thread embedding provides better or similar effects on language recovery.

Participants:

Underwent a 30-day intervention with language assessments at the start and end of the period.

Were randomly assigned to either the thread embedding group, receiving treatment every 10 days, or the electroacupuncture group, receiving daily 20-minute sessions.

This study was designed as a randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial conducted at the Traditional Medicine Hospital in Dak Lak, Vietnam. It received ethical approval from the Biomedical Research Ethic Committee at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City (Approval No. 739/HĐĐĐ-ĐHYD, dated December 14, 2021). The interventions were delivered by certified traditional medicine practitioners following strict protocols (STRICTA 2010).

Catgut Thread Embedding (TE group): Participants received thread embedding at the EX-HN21 acupoint.

Electroacupuncture (EA group): Participants underwent daily 20-minute sessions in 30 days.

Language function was assessed using standardized tools, and data were analyzed with R. Statistical tests (chi-square, t-tests) compared baseline characteristics and outcomes, with a significance level of p < 0.05.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosed with post-stroke aphasia (severity levels 0-4 on the Goodglass and Kaplan scale)
• Aged 18 years or older
• Fluent in Vietnamese
• Alert and mentally competent (no psychiatric or neurological disorders affecting communication)
• No pre-existing speech or language disorders
• Willing to participate and provide signed informed consent
• Treated as inpatients at the Traditional Medicine Hospital, Dak Lak

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe physical exhaustion or skin ulcers/infections at intervention sites
• Presence of a pacemaker
• Allergy to catgut threads
• Post-stroke patients awaiting cranioplasty
• Complex disease progression requiring alternative treatments during the study (data analyzed as treatment failures)