埼玉医科大学雑誌 第36巻 第1号 (2009年9月) 1-10頁 ◇論文(図表を含む全文)は,PDFファイルとなっています.

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Effects of Acupuncture on Lower Limb Ischemia

Shuji Suzuki1), Shigeru Ichioka2), Hiroshi Omata3), Satoru Yamaguchi3), Toshihide Mimura3), Takashi Nakatsuka2)
1)Department of Plastic Surgery, Saitama Medical University (presently: Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Dermatology, University of Yamanashi), 2)Department of Plastic Surgery, Saitama Medical University, 3)Department of Oriental Medicine, Saitama Medical University


Objective: To investigate the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for lower limb ischemia.
Design: We quantitatively measured the effects of electro-pulsed acupuncture on cutaneous blood flow and oxygenation, by determining skin perfusion pressure (SPP) and transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO2), respectively. The Zusanli and Sanyinjiao acupoints on the right leg were stimulated with electro-pulsed acupuncture at 1 Hz for 10 minutes, then SPP levels at 4 measurement points before and after, and TcPO2 levels at those points before, during, and after treatment were measured. The control group (20 healthy volunteers, average 33.8 years old) received treatment once, while the patient group (9 patients with peripheral arterial disease [PAD], average 65.1 years old) received once-a-week acupuncture treatments and accompanying measurements for 4 weeks, and were also administered a set of questionnaire (VAS in pains and general conditions, KDQOLTM, and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey [SF-36]) on the first and final acupuncture treatment days.
Results: Blood flow and oxygenation were increased in peripheral areas in the control group. In the PAD patients, blood flow was significantly increased in the dorsum of the foot and ankle after the first and at all 4 points after the final treatment, whereas cutaneous oxygenation was not significantly increased. In addition, the patient group reported improvements in answers to the Physical Function of SF-36.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that acupuncture is effective as therapy for lower limb ischemia.
J Saitama Medical University 2009; 36: 1-10
(Received March 24, 2009 / Accepted June 17, 2009)

Keywords: acupuncture, blood flow, blood oxygenation, diabetes, diabetes mellitus, electro-pulsed acupuncture, lower limb ischemia, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), skin perfusion pressure (SPP), transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO2), Short Form-36 (SF-36)


(C) 2009 The Medical Society of Saitama Medical University