OBJECTIVETo observe the synergic or antagonistic effect of needling acupoints Fengchi (GB 20) and Tianzhu (BL 10), and Jiaji C4-C6 (EX-B2) on vertebro-basilar insufficiency (VBI).

METHODSSelf-control method was used and 20 cases of VBI were respectively treated with acupuncture at Fengchi (GB 20) and Tianzhu (BL 10), Jiaji (EX-B2). Their combination and the changes of vertebro-basilar artery's (VBA) systolic velocity of blood flow was detected.

RESULTSThe VBA's systolic velocity of blood flow after acupuncture were increased in all the 3 groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), with no significant difference among the 3 groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture at Fengchi (GB 20) and Tianzhu (BL 10) or Jiaji (C4-C6 ) or their combination can increase VBA's systolic velocity of blood flow, improving blood supply of vertebro-basilar artery, but they have no synergic or antagonistic effects.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Self-Control ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; therapy

Humans ; Neck Injuries ; therapy ; Vertebral Artery ; injuries ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency

OBJECTIVETo evaluate clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Fengchi (GB 20) and Tianzhu (BL 10) on vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI).

METHODSOne hundred and sixteen cases of VBI were randomly divided into 2 groups, 58 cases in each group. The treatment group were treated with acupuncture at Fengchi (GB 20) and Tianzhu (BL 10), and the control group with oral administration of Nimodipine. Clinical symptoms, and the average blood flow rates of left vertebral artery (LVA), right vertebral artery (RVA) and basilar artery (BA) detected by transcranial Doppler's method (TCD) before and after treatment were investigated.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 89.66% in the treatment group and 86.21% in the control group. Acupuncture had significantly therapeutic effect in improvement of clinical symptoms and the average blood flow rate of BA, better than Nimodipine.

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture at Fengch; (GB 20) and Tianzhu (BL 10) has obvious therapeutic effect on vertebrobasilar insufficiency.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Basilar Artery ; Humans ; Vertebral Artery ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo search for the best program increasing clinical therapeutic effect on vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) and to study the mechanism.

METHODSThe patients were randomly divided into an acupuncture plus massage group, an acupuncture group and a massage group. Their therapeutic effects were observed and compared. And transcranial Doppler (TCD) was used for detection of systolic flow velocity (Vs), enddiastolic peak flow velocity (Vd), mean peak flow (Vm) and pulsatility index (PI) before and after treatment.

RESULTSThe cured rate and the total effective rate in the acupuncture plus massage group were significantly higher than the acupuncture group and the massage group (P < 0.05). And there were significant differences in Vm, PI and DI in the left vertebral artery (LVA), the right vertebral artery (RVA) and the basilar artery (BA) before and after treatment (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture combined with massage can improve Vm, PI, DI of VA-BA and the clinical therapeutic effect on VBI as well. It is superior to the simple acupuncture therapy and simple massage therapy. At present, it is one of the best therapy for VBI.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Basilar Artery ; Humans ; Massage ; Vertebral Artery ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo explore mechanisms of acupuncture in treatment of vertebrobasilar insufficiency.

METHODSForty cases of vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) were divided into an acupuncture group and a routine treatment group, 20 cases in each group. The acupuncture group were treated by routine treatment plus acupuncture. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography and brain stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) before treatment and 2 weeks after treatment were determined to investigate the effects of acupuncture on blood flow velocity and brain electrophysiology in the patient of VBI.

RESULTSBefore treatment, the blood velocity of vertebral artery and vertebrobasilar artery at bilateral sides in the patient of VBI decreased as compared with the control group, and the abnormal rate of TCD was 75.0% (30/40) and the abnormal rate of BAEP was 70.0% (28/40), characterized with brainstem abnormality type; after treatment, the blood velocity in the two groups was improved and the abnormal rate of TCD was 47.5% (19/40), and the abnormal rate of BEAP was 45.0% (18/40). The nerve conduction of the two groups was improved, the peak latency of V wave and interpeak latency of III-V and I -V in the acupuncture group were improved significantly as compared with the routine treatment group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture can improve the blood velocity of vertebrobasilar artery and the nerve conduction function of brainstem in the patient of vertebrobasilar insufficiency.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Humans ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial ; Vertebral Artery ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy on vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) between auricular acupuncture therapy and oral administration of medicine.

METHODSSixty patients of VBI were randomized into an auricular acupuncture therapy group and a medicine group, 30 cases in each one. In the auricular acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied bilaterally to gan (CO12) and jiejie (HX8) on the ears and needles were retained for 15 min. After needle withdrawal, the vaccariae semen were fixed with plaster at naogan (AT3, 4i), zhen (AT3), jing (AH12), shen (CO10) and pi (CO13) on the ears. In the medicine group, flunarizine hydrochloride capsules (Sibelium), 5mg were prescribed for oral administration, once every night. The treatment lasted continuously for 2 weeks (14 days) in the two groups. In 2 weeks, the clinical efficacy was assessed and the transcranial doppler (TCD) examination was performed.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the symptom scores were all apparently reduced in the patients of the two groups (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Compared with the medicine group, the reduced score was much more obvious in the auricular acupuncture group (P < 0.05), indicating the significant difference. After treatment, with TCD examination, the blood velocity was increased to different degrees in the patients of low velocity type in the auricular acupuncture group and the medicine group; that was reduced to different degrees in the patients of high velocity type in the auricular acupuncture group and the medicine group. All of them were different significantly as compared with those before treatment (all P < 0.05). But the difference was not significant between the two groups (both P > 0.05). In comparison of clinical efficacy between the two groups, the effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the acupuncture group and better than 76.7% (23/30) in the medicine group, indicating the significant difference in comparison (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe auricular acupuncture therapy achieves the definite efficacy on VBI and the efficacy is better than flunarizine hydrochloride capsules.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; therapy

No abstract available.
Basilar Artery* ; Brain Infarction ; Brain Stem ; Endovascular Procedures ; Stroke* ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency

In recent two years, new reports about concepts, technologies, materials, and especially new clinical trial results for endovascular treatment of cerebrovascular diseases, has provided tremendous promise for further progress. Mechanical thrombectomy becomes a guideline-recommended therapy for acute ischemic stroke patients with large vessel occlusion, which is considered as a landmark event. The superiority of endovascular coiling over neurosurgical clipping has been further proved for intracranial aneurysm. New devices are constantly developing for aneurysm occlusion. For brain arteriovenous malformation, application of detachable-tip microcatheters improves safety of embolization procedure, and successful transvenous embolization has been also achieved in a few cases. Long-term result of carotid stenting for symptomatic patients has been proved to be noninferior to carotid endarterectomy. Meanwhile, some new trials only obtain negative results, for example, endovascular stenting for intracranial or vertebral artery stenosis both show worse outcomes compared with medical therapy alone. More advancements and investigations are needed.
Embolization, Therapeutic ; instrumentation ; Endarterectomy, Carotid ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; therapy ; Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations ; therapy ; Stents ; Stroke ; therapy ; Thrombectomy ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo compare the difference of the therapeutic effect of acupuncture and western medicine on the patients with vertebral-basilar insufficiency (VBI), and investigate its mechanism.

METHODSAccording to the different velocity of blood flow recorded by Transcranial Doppler (TCD), sixty patients with VBI were divided into an acupunture group (31 cases) and a western medicine group (29 cases). In the acupuncture group, the patients were punctured at Fengchi (GB 20) and "Gongxue" (Extra). In the western medicine group, the patients were orally given the Flunarizine hydrochlorid capsules. Before and after two-week treatment, the clinical symptoms and related data of TCD were compared, analyzed and evaluated.

RESULTSThe clinical symptoms were obviously improved in the acupuncture group, which was better than the western medicine group (P < 0.05). Acupuncture not only could up-regulate the velocity of vertebral-basilar blood flow (VBF) on the patients with slower VBF of peak-systolic phase (Vs), end-diastolic phase (Vd) and mean value (Vm), but also reduced the VBF on the patients with faster Vs, Vd and Vm. In comparison of the data before and after treatment, there were significantly differences in two groups (P < 0.05), however, there were no difference between the two groups (all P > 0.05). On the index of vascular pulsation (PI), resistance index (RI) and Vs/Vd, there were no difference in both groups before and after treatment (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncturing at Fengchi (GB 20) and "Gongxue" has bidirectional and beneficial function of regulation on the VBF, but no active role on the compatibility of vertebral-basilar blood vessel.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; therapy ; Young Adult

AIMTo investigate the mechanism of EA improving the obstruction of inner ear microcirculation and the effect on the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) by comparing the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) with sibelium (flunarizine hydrochloride) on vertebrobasilar insufficiency(VBI).

METHODSInjected with sclerosant-775 injection into the solt tissue on the left side of cervical vertebral transverse processes of rabbits to set up the vertebral artery type of cervical spondylosis (VCS) models. Electronystagmography (ENG) induced by linear acceleration (LA) and horizontal rotation (HR), the transcranial Doppler (TCD), laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and hemorheology were used to measure changes of the frequencies of nystagmus, the hemodynamics in the basilar artery (BA), inner ear blood flow(IEBF) and blood viscosity in VBI rabbits.

RESULTSThe frequencies of ENG, the velocity of blood flow in BA and IEBF decreased obviously, and whole blood middle where viscosity, whole blood lower where viscosity and erythrocyte distortion index ( EDI) increased significantly in the model group. Sibelium could reduce whole blood viscosity and EDI, and increased the systolic phase velocity (Vs) of blood flow in BA, but had no effect on diastolic phase velocity (Vd) and mean velocity (Vm). EA could not reduce the viscosity of blood and EDI, but had more significant effects on improving IEBF and ENG induced by LA than those of sibelium,and had the tendency of increasing Vs, Vd and Vm. EA and sibelium had no effect on improving ENG induced by HR.

CONCLUSIONInner ear microcirculation obstruction caused by VBI can induce dysfunctions of vestibule cyst macula and horizontal semicircular canals. EA may depend upon the neurohumoral regulation to improve VBI, and ameliorate inner ear blood supply obstruction by enhancing mechanism of local adjusting for microcirculation in the inner ear to recover vestibular cyst macula irritability for LA chiefly. There exist complicated mechanism that EA adjusts blood flow distribution and vestibular signal transduction in vestibular organ in VBI model likely, and remain to be researched deeply.

Animals ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Ear, Inner ; blood supply ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Male ; Microcirculation ; Rabbits ; Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; physiopathology ; therapy