Clinical Observation On The Therapeutic Effect Of Acupuncture On Sphenopalatine Ganglion In Treating Tinnitus Of Liver Depression And Spleen Deficiency Typ

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture on the pterygopalatine ganglion and conventional acupuncture therapy in the treatment of tinnitus of liver-depression and spleen-deficiency type,to analyze the relationship between relevant influencing factors and the degree of tinnitus,and to provide new therapeutic ideas and methods for the clinical treatment of tinnitus of liver-depression and spleen-deficiency type.Methods:Sixty patients with tinnitus of liver-depression and spleen-deficiency type who attended the outpatient clinic of Oriental Hospital of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from July 2022 to February 2023 and met the inclusion criteria were collected.The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups using an Excel table,the observation group and the control group,respectively.The observation group was treated with milli-needle acupuncture of the pterygopalatine ganglion,while the control group was treated with conventional acupuncture,with the main acupuncture points of the ear gate,the hearing session,the hearing palace,and the cataract;the supporting acupuncture points:Baihui,Taichong,Hegu,Sanyinjiao,and Feosanli.The treatment was given twice a week for 3 weeks,and a total of 1 course of treatment was given.The basic information of tinnitus,the Tinnitus Evaluation Questionnaire(TEQ),the Hamilton Anxiety Inventory(HAMA),and the Hamilton Depression Inventory(HAMD)were filled out before and after 3 weeks of treatment in both groups for statistical analysis to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of the 2 groups.Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing the degree of tinnitus.Results:① Comprehensive efficacy analysis:After treatment,2 patients in the observation group were basically cured,7 were significantly effective,17 were effective and 4 were ineffective,with a total effective rate of 86.7%.After treatment,5 patients in the control group were basically cured,7 were effective,11 were effective,and 7 were ineffective,with a total effective rate of 76.7%.The results showed that P=0.317>0.05,and the difference in efficacy was not statistically significant.②TEQ:The score of the observation group before treatment was 13.13 ± 4.554,and the score of the control group was 11.63±4.738,P=0.26>0.05,the difference was not statistically significant,and the data of the two groups were comparable.After treatment,P=0.00<0.05 for intra-group comparison between the two groups,the difference was statistically significant,suggesting that both the observation and control groups could significantly improve the degree of tinnitus.For the comparison between groups,P=0.296>0.05,the difference is not statistically significant,which does not yet indicate that acupuncture of the pterygopalatine ganglion is superior to conventional acupuncture in improving the degree of tinnitus.③HAMA:There was no statistically significant difference between the Hamilton anxiety scale scores of the two groups before treatment,and the data were comparable.After treatment,P=0.00<0.01 within the two groups,suggesting that both the observation group and the control group could significantly relieve the patients’ anxiety symptoms.The comparison between groups,P=0.031<0.05,was statistically significant,indicating that the anxiety symptoms of patients with acupuncture in the pterygopalatine ganglion were significantly improved and were better than those of the conventional acupuncture group.④HAMD:There was no statistically significant difference in the Hamilton depression scale scores between the two groups before treatment,and the data were comparable.After treatment,P=0.00<0.01 within the two groups,suggesting that both the observation group and the control group could significantly alleviate the patients’ depressive symptoms.The comparison between groups,P=0.261>0.05,was not statistically significant and did not yet indicate that acupuncture of the pterygopalatine ganglion was more effective than conventional acupuncture in improving depressive symptoms.⑤Multiple logistic regression showed that age,gender,diet,disease duration,degree of hearing loss,and the presence or absence of combined cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease did not worsen tinnitus.⑥Occurrence of adverse events:There was only one case of local subcutaneous hematoma at the acupuncture site in the observation group,which was relieved by applying local cold compresses with ice bags.No adverse events were seen in the control group.Conclusion:Both acupuncture of the pterygopalatine ganglion and conventional acupuncture can improve the severity of tinnitus,anxiety and depression,and improve patients’ quality of life.Compared with conventional acupuncture,acupuncture of the pterygopalatine ganglion is superior to conventional acupuncture in improving anxiety and has significant advantages in terms of time and cost-effectiveness,and is worth promoting clinically as an adjunct to idiopathic tinnitus of the liver-depression-spleen-deficiency type.