OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy between acupuncture at stellate ganglion combined with intravenous administration of alprostadil and simple intravenous administration of alprostadil on lower limb atherosclerosis of early diabetes mellitus.

METHODSSixty patients of lower limb atherosclerosis of early diabetes mellitus were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. Patients in the two groups were treated with basic treatment to control blood glucose and lipid. In addition, patients in the control group were treated with intravenous administration of alprostadil (10 µg) and sodium chloride solution (100 mL); based on this, patients in the observation group were treated with acupuncture at stellate ganglion. The treatment was given once a day; the consecutive treatment of two weeks constituted one session, and totally 4 sessions were given. The total syndrome score, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood flow of posterior tibial artery and dorsal artery of foot were observed before and after treatment; the clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups.

RESULTSCompared before treatment, the total syndrome score, HbA1c, blood flow of posterior tibial artery and dorsal artery of foot were significantly improved after treatment (all P < 0.05), which were more obvious in the observation group (all P < 0.05). After treatment, the total effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the observation group, which was significantly superior to 86.7% (26/30) in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture at stellate ganglion combined with intravenous administration of alprostadil achieve better effect than simple intravenous administration of alprostadil for lower limb atherosclerosis of early diabetes mellitus, which improve the clinical symptoms, regulate blood sugar and increase the blood flow of lower limb.