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Review
. 2022 Jul 5:2022:8080297.
doi: 10.1155/2022/8080297. eCollection 2022.

Effectiveness and Safety of Acupoint Catgut Embedding for the Treatment of Poststroke Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mao Guo  1   2 , Xie Le  2 , Wang Qin-Yu  3 , Mao Ye  2 , Zhou Sheng-Qiang  2 , Xie Yao  2 , Wu Da-Hua  2 , Liu Bai-Yan  1   4
Affiliations
Review

Effectiveness and Safety of Acupoint Catgut Embedding for the Treatment of Poststroke Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mao Guo et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

Objectives: Acupoint catgut embedding therapy has shown effectiveness in treating functional constipation; however, relevant, high-quality clinical evidence is scarce. This study aimed to systematically assess the effectiveness and safety of acupoint catgut embedding in treating poststroke constipation.

Methods: Correlative randomized controlled trials were identified through a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Cochrane Library/Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Internet, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang, and VIP databases from inception until February 2022. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.

Results: Fifteen trials involving 1084 patients were identified. The meta-analysis revealed that the acupoint catgut embedding group was significantly superior to the non-catgut embedding group with regard to the efficacy rate (RR = 1.27, 95% CI (1.19, 1.37), P < 0.05), the first defecation time (MD = -3.08, 95% CI (-4.53, -1.63), P < 0.05), the defecation sensation score (MD = -0.44, 95% CI (-0.61, -0.26), P < 0.05), the degree of difficulty in defecation (MD = -0.73, 95% CI (-1.10, -0.37), P < 0.05), the PAC-QOL scale score (MD = -10.06, 95% CI (-13.47, -6.64), P < 0.05), and the symptom integral (MD = -3.15, 95% CI (-3.60, -2.71), P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the stool property score (MD = 0.06, 95% CI (-0.39, 0.50), P > 0.05) as well as the incidence of adverse reactions (RD = 0.01, 95% CI (-0.01, 0.03), P > 0.05) between the two groups.

Conclusions: The results showed that acupoint catgut embedding is probably an effective and safe acupuncture treatment strategy for poststroke constipation. Nevertheless, more rigorously designed, standardized, large-sample, and multicenter randomized controlled designs are warranted to further verify the findings of this study.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the literature selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Literature quality risk bias chart.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The forest plot of the efficacy rate.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The forest plot of first defecation time.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The forest plot of the defecation sensation score.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The forest plot of degree of difficulty in defecation.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The forest plot of the stool property score.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The forest plot of the PAC-QOL scale score.
Figure 9
Figure 9
The forest plot of Symptom integral.
Figure 10
Figure 10
The forest plot of adverse events.
Figure 11
Figure 11
The funnel plot of the efficacy rate.
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