The effect of acupuncture in chronic intractable epilepsy. Randomized controlled trial of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in autism spectrum disorder. Carbamazepine as adjunctive treatment in nonepileptic chronic inpatients with EEG temporal lobe abnormalities. Cognitive-behavior therapy with adult patients with epilepsy: a controlled outcome study. [Clinical observation on catgut implantation at acupoint for treatment of general paroxysmal epilepsy]. Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of topiramate (600 mg daily) for the treatment of refractory partial epilepsy. A randomized controlled trial on the treatment for acute partial ischemic stroke with acupuncture. Antiepileptic drug treatment in a community health care setting in northern Ecuador: a prospective 12-month assessment. Discontinuation of anticonvulsant therapy in children with partial epilepsy.
We examined the effect of acupuncture on epileptic seizures in humans in a controlled clinical setting. Treatment was administered by two Chinese professors of acupuncture. Effect was measured by change in seizure frequency. Twenty-nine patients with chronic intractable epilepsy completed the study. They were randomized in two groups; 15 were given classical acupuncture and 14 were given sham acupuncture. There was a reduction in seizure frequency in both groups, which did not reach a level of statistical significance. There was also an increase in the number of seizure-free weeks in both groups, which reached a level of significance in the sham group. Thus, we have not been able to prove a beneficial effect of acupuncture in chronic intractable epilepsy.
                Copyright 1999 BEA Trading Ltd. We aim to study the efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in children with autism spectrum disorder.
                A single-blind randomized control trial was conducted in 50 children. These children were randomly assigned to the treatment group with tongue acupuncture (40 sessions over 8 weeks) or the control group (sham tongue acupuncture to nonacupoints in the tongue).
                There was improvement in both the treatment and control groups in all assessed measures but more so in the treatment than in the control group: (1) eye-hand coordination, performance, and practical reasoning of Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale; (2) sensory-motor, social, affectual, language, and total score of Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Scale; (3) Comprehension Language age in the Reynell Language Developmental Scale; and (4) Total Score and Mental Age in Symbolic Play Test. The only statistically significant improvement in the treatment as compared to the control group was seen in self-care and cognition domains of the Functional Independence Measure for children.
                We had demonstrated that a short course of acupuncture had efficacy in improving various developmental and behavioral aspects of children with autism. The long-term efficacy in functional gain needs to be further explored. A 15-week double-blind, randomized, within-patient design was used to assess carbamazepine versus placebo as adjunctive treatment in chronic hospitalized psychiatric inpatients (predominantly schizophrenic) with EEG temporal lobe abnormalities but no clinical evidence of epilepsy. A statistically significant improvement on carbamazepine was found on all clinical rating measures used (Overall Clinical Rating, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and Global Assessment). The results also appeared to be clinically significant. The present study evaluated the efficacy of group cognitive-behavior therapy for the alleviation of psychosocial problems and reduction of seizures with adult epileptic patients. Twenty-seven outpatients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Supportive Counseling (attention-placebo control), and Waiting list (no treatment control). The major outcome measures used were: patient's, neurologist's, and therapist's global ratings of psychological adjustment, patient's target complaints and weekly seizure frequency, patient's and neurologist's ratings of seizure control, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, the Washington Psychosocial Seizure Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory. No significant differences were found among the three groups on these measures except for therapist's global ratings of psychological adjustment, on which both the Cognitive-Behavior Therapy and Supportive Counseling groups improved significantly after therapy, but the Waiting List control group did not. Overall, little support was found for the efficacy of group cognitive behavior therapy (eight 2-h weekly sessions) for the reduction of psychosocial difficulties or seizures. Implications of the present findings are discussed, with the need for further controlled outcome research stressed. To search for an effective method for treatment of general paroxysmal epilepsy.
                One hundred cases were randomly divided into a treatment group of 50 cases treated with catgut implantation at Dazhui (GV 14), Jinsuo (GV 8), Fenglong (ST 40), etc., and a control group of 50 cases treated with oral administration of sodium valproate.
                The scores for epilepsy after treatment significantly improved in the both groups (P<0.05); the total effective rate was 94.0% in the treatment group and 82.0% in the control group with a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05).
                Catgut implantation at acupoint has a definite therapeutic effect on general paroxysmal epilepsy with no adverse effect. We wished to evaluate adjunctive therapy for partial-onset seizures with topiramate (TPM) for efficacy and safety in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel-group study.
                Sixty outpatients with epilepsy (47 men and 13 women, mean age 32.9 years) were studied. All had a documented history of partial-onset seizures with or without secondarily generalized seizures. After an 8-week baseline during which patients had at least one seizure per week, 30 patients each were randomized to TPM 300 mg twice daily (b.i.d.) or placebo for 12 weeks.
                TPM was significantly superior to placebo, as indicated by all efficacy assessments: greater median percent reduction from baseline in the average monthly seizure rate (46 vs. -12%, p = 0.004); greater number of treatment responders (patients with > or = 50% reduction in seizure rate) (47 vs. 10%, p = 0.001), and better investigator (p = 0.002) and patient (p = 0.010) global assessments of treatment. Among TPM-treated patients, the most commonly reported adverse events (AE) were headache, somnolence, fatigue, dizziness, and abnormal thinking. Most AE were mild or moderate in severity.
                The results of the present trial indicate that TPM 600 mg/day is effective in the treatment of refractory partial-onset seizures with or without secondarily generalized seizures. The effectiveness of acupuncture in acute stroke remains largely untested and unproved. A randomized, controlled trial was carried out to study the feasibility of acupuncture in combination with conventional supportive treatment for acute stroke patients. A total of 30 patients, aged 46-74, with the onset of symptoms within 36 h were enrolled into the study after appropriate screening. All patients gave informed consent. Basing on the same supportive treatment, patients were randomly assigned to a treatment with or without acupuncture. The procedure and acupoint selection were discussed and decided through several meetings of a group of senior acupuncture doctors in Taiwan. Acupuncture was applied 3 times/week for 4 weeks. During the study period, there were no problems in conducting this trial in terms of patient availability and acceptance, and physician cooperation. A significantly better neurologic outcome was observed in the acupuncture group on day 28 and day 90. The improvement in neurologic status was greatest in patients with a poor neurologic score at baseline. There were no important side effects except for one episode of dizziness related to acupuncture treatment. The data and results of this study will be used as a guideline for planning a full-scale clinical trial, e.g. sample size calculation, method of randomization with stratification of prognostic factors, choosing acupuncture points and technique of acupuncture. The results of a prospective assessment of antiepileptic drug treatment carried out over a 12-month period, in the context of existing community health care in a rural area of a developing country (a highland region of northern Ecuador), are reported. A house to house survey defined all patients in the area with a history of epileptic seizures, and 192 patients with active epilepsy were recruited into the programme. These patients were randomised to treatment with carbamazepine or phenobarbital, and 139 completed the assessment. Treatment was carried out by health visitors and rural doctors, monitored by a team of neurologists, and standard treatment regimens were used. Treatment was effective in controlling seizures, 53% of the patients were rendered entirely seizure free in the second 6 months of therapy, and a further 14% had a 50% or more reduction in seizures. These results were similar to those reported in hospital based studies in developed countries. No significant differences were found between the efficacy and safety of phenobarbital or carbamazepine. Antiepileptic drug levels were monitored during the study, and ranges similar to those found in developed countries were recorded. Compliance was good. In view of the successful treatment in this community control programme, we would recommend that community programmes for the control of epilepsy in rural settings should be given a higher priority in the planning of health care provision than is commonly the case. Finally, the programme afforded the opportunity to study the efficacy of treatment in patients with chronic long-standing epilepsy, who had not been previously treated, and the results of this treatment were good. To evaluate when it is possible to discontinue anticonvulsant treatment in children with cryptogenic partial epilepsy, the authors studied 89 epileptic children divided into two groups: Group A, 45 children whose therapy was discontinued after 1 year from the last seizure; and Group B, 44 children whose therapy was stopped after 2 years from the last seizure. After 5 years of follow-up, the recurrence rate was similar in the two groups of patients (Group A, 28.8%; Group B, 25%). It is safe to discontinue the anticonvulsant therapy in children with cryptogenic partial epilepsy who were seizure free for only 1 year.
The current evidence does not support acupuncture for treating epilepsy.