Clinical Study on the End Time of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy for Peripheral Facial Paralysis

May 13, 2024 updated by: Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University

Clinical Study on the End Time of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy for Peripheral Facial Paralysis: Randomized Controlled Trial

Bell's palsy itself has a certain self-healing tendency. Therefore, it is recommended to leave a bit of Bell's palsy for self-recovery without treatment. If complete recovery is achieved after treatment, complications such as stiffness, contracture and even hemifacial inversion may occur as time moves. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the optimal end time of acupuncture for facial paralysis.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is a randomized, double-blind, controlled study, with a total of 120 eligible patients randomly divided into an observation group (n=60) and a control group (n=60). Both groups received facial acupuncture combined with infrared irradiation treatment, once a day,10 times as a course, and the next course of treatment will be carried out after a 5-day rest.The treatment duration for both groups will not exceed three months, with the observation group aiming for a Sunnybrook score of ≥83 and the control group aiming for a score≥95. The primary outcome measure is Sunnybrook scores at 6 months after onset compared with baseline. Secondary outcome measures included Sunnybrook Scores, electroneurography, blink reflex, Facial Disability Index, Self-Rating Depression Scale and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • China
    • Jiangsu
      • Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
        • Recruiting
        • Nanjing First Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Male or female patients aged 18-75 years.
  2. Patients diagnosed with peripheral facial paralysis≤7 days before screening and was the first time.
  3. All cases have symptoms and signs or have been examined by CT, MRI, etc., excluding peripheral facial paralysis caused by central nervous system diseases, ear diseases, and trauma.
  4. Those who voluntarily sign the Research Informed Consent Form

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients with bilateral facial nerve palsy or recurrent facial nerve palsy (more than two occurrences).
  2. Pregnant or nursing patients.
  3. Patients with critically ill which is difficult to make a definite evaluation of the efficacy and safety of treatment
  4. Those who accept other treatment methods or cannot adhere to this plan, which affects the efficacy observation

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: observation group
Sunnybrook score ≥83 points
Other: acupuncture
Acupuncture is applied to ST8, GB14, BL12, SJ23, ST2, SI18, ST4, ST7, RN24, Ex-HN16, SJ17 and LI4 on the affected side and needles are retained for half an hour.Add infrared irradiation therapy in the same time
Other Names:
  • moxibustion
  • infrared irradiation therapy
Active Comparator: control group
Sunnybrook score ≥95 points
Other: acupuncture
Acupuncture is applied to ST8, GB14, BL12, SJ23, ST2, SI18, ST4, ST7, RN24, Ex-HN16, SJ17 and LI4 on the affected side and needles are retained for half an hour.Add infrared irradiation therapy in the same time
Other Names:
  • moxibustion
  • infrared irradiation therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sunnybrook(SB) score
Time Frame: Change from Baseline scores of SB score at at 6-months after onset.
This scoring was used to detect the severity of peripheral facial paralysis(PFP).Which include three parts: resting symmetry, symmetry of voluntary movement, and synkinesis. In the resting symmetry scoring of the facial nerve, "normal" in each area refers to being "symmetrical/equivalent" compared to the healthy side. The total score for facial nerve function assessment is calculated as voluntary movement score minus resting symmetry score minus synkinesis score, with a maximum score of 100.The sunnybrook scores were used to define five categories of PFP severity:Normal person（90~100 points）;mild PFP levels（76~89 points）;moderate PFP levels（61~75 points）;moderate to severe PFP levels（31~60points）;and presence of severe PFP（0~30 points）。
Change from Baseline scores of SB score at at 6-months after onset.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sunnybrook(SB) score
Time Frame: Change from Baseline scores of SB score at at 3、12months after onset.
This scoring was used to detect the severity of peripheral facial paralysis(PFP).Which include three parts: resting symmetry, symmetry of voluntary movement, and synkinesis. In the resting symmetry scoring of the facial nerve, "normal" in each area refers to being "symmetrical/equivalent" compared to the healthy side. The total score for facial nerve function assessment is calculated as voluntary movement score minus resting symmetry score minus synkinesis score, with a maximum score of 100.The sunnybrook scores were used to define five categories of PFP severity:Normal person（90~100 points）;mild PFP levels（76~89 points）;moderate PFP levels（61~75 points）;moderate to severe PFP levels（31~60points）;and presence of severe PFP（0~30 points）。
Change from Baseline scores of SB score at at 3、12months after onset.
Electroneuronography (ENoG)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline amplitude and potential of CAMP and the numbers of pathological ENoG at at 6、12months after onset.
The goal of the Electroneurography (ENoG) testing is to measure the amount of neural degradation that has occurred distal to the site of facial nerve injury by measuring the muscle response to an electrical stimulus. The testing of ENoG involves recording the compound muscle action potential (CAMP) of the mimetic muscles, including Orbicularis oculi, Frontalis muscle, Orbicularis oris and Zygomaticus muscle. ENoG is performed first on the healthy side of the face and then on the affected side. Nerve damage or nerve fiber degeneration leads to a decrease or loss of the CAMP. The amplitude of the CAMP on the affected side is compared to the CAMP of the healthy side and expressed as percent (amplitude of the paralyzed side divided by the amplitude of the normal side). A side difference of 30% or bigger is considered pathologic.
Change from Baseline amplitude and potential of CAMP and the numbers of pathological ENoG at at 6、12months after onset.
Blink Reflex
Time Frame: Change from Baseline number of pathological Blink Reflex at 6、12months after onset.
The blink reflex test is to measures the facial nerve since the blink reflex delivers information on facial nerve function with normal trigeminal function. Blink reflex testing involves electrical stimulation of the supraorbital nerve on the affected side combined with a 2-channel simultaneous surface electromyogram recording from both orbicularis oculi muscles. The exit of the supraorbital nerve in the supraorbital foramen is palpated on the rim of the orbit. Stimulation with 10-20 mA and 0.2 ms duration is used to produce a constant reflex. In blink reflex testing, two responses, R1 and R2, are analyzed. R1 is the fast ipsilateral response of the orbicularis oculi muscle with a latency of about 10-12 ms. The second bilateral response R2 has a latency of about 30-41 ms. The R2 latency differences between both sides higher than 5-8 ms is considered pathologic.
Change from Baseline number of pathological Blink Reflex at 6、12months after onset.
Facial disability index (FDI)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline scores of FDI score at at 3、6、12months after onset.
The facial disability index (FDI) included the FDI Physical Function Subscale (FDIP) and the FDI Social/Well-being Subscale (FDIS), with a total of 10 questions in each section.The disease severity decreases as the scores rise
Change from Baseline scores of FDI score at at 3、6、12months after onset.
Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline scores of FDI score at at 3、6、12months after onset.
The full name of the scale called Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale.The SAS contains 20 questions. Each question is scored on a scale of 1-4 (never, some of the time, relatively often, most of the time). Fifteen questions involve the assessment of increasing anxiety levels, and five questions involve decreasing anxiety levels.Each items points accumulated as raw scores,the lowest raw score is 20 points, the highest raw score is 80 points. The raw scores multiply by 1.25, taking the integer part as the standard scores.The SAS standard scores were used to define four categories of anxiety severity: within normal ranger no significant psychopathology (25-49points);presence of mild to moderate anxiety levels (50-59points); severe anxiety levels (60-69points); and presence of extreme anxiety (70-100points).
Change from Baseline scores of FDI score at at 3、6、12months after onset.
Self-Rating Depression Scale(SDS)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline scores of FDI score at at 3、6、12months after onset.
The full name of the scale called Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale.The SDS contains 20 questions. Each question is scored on a scale of 1-4 (never, some of the time, relatively often, most of the time). Ten questions involve the assessment of increasing depression levels, and ten questions involve decreasing depression levels.Each items points accumulated as raw scores,the lowest raw score is 20 points, the highest raw score is 80 points. The raw scores multiply by 1.25, taking the integer part as the standard scores.The SAS standard scores were used to define four categories of depression severity: within normal ranger no significant psychopathology (25-49points);presence of mild to moderate depression levels (53-62points); severe depression levels (63-72points); and presence of extreme depression (73-100points).
Change from Baseline scores of FDI score at at 3、6、12months after onset.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Bingguo Xu, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 2, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 1, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 28, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 28, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 1, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 16, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 13, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • KY20240123-04-KS-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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