OBJECTIVETo observe effects of intervention time of local acupuncture at the affected side on the facial nerve injury and the therapeutic effect at acute stage of peripheral facial paralysis.

METHODSTwo hundred and seventy-nine cases within 3 days of attack were randomly divided into 4 groups, group A (n=74), group B (n=70), group C (n=74) and control group (n=61). The 4 groups were treated with Prednisone on the third day after attack, and acupuncture was added in the group A, B and C, with Fengchi (GB 20), Yangbai (GB 14), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Sibai (ST 2), Yingxiang (LI 20), etc. on the affected side and bilateral Hegu (LI 4) selected, and with superficial insertion method used for acupoints on the ear-face parts without manipulating the needles, and electroacupuncture was added from the fifth session of the treatment, and uniform reinforcing-reducing method was used for the distal acupoints selected. The needles were retained for 20 min and the treatment was given for 25 sessions, once other day. The therapeutic effects, the mean therapeutic courses for the cured patients and changes of electroneurography (ENoG) were compared among the groups.

RESULTSThe clinical total effective rate was 98.6%, 95.7%, 94.6% and 72.1% in the group A, B, C and the control group, respectively, with a significant difference (P < 0.05), and the therapeutic course for the cured patients increased in the order of the group A, B, C and the control group; and there was no significant difference among the 4 groups in changes of ENoG at the third day and the fourteenth day (both P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcute stage is the best opportunity for acupuncture treatment of peripheral facial paralysis, and the earlier the intervention time, the better the therapeutic effect and the shorter the therapeutic course.