Objective: To observe the short-term effect of patients with poly-infarctional vascular dementia (PIVD) treated by CT positioning scalp circum-needling (SCN) combined with Chinese herbal medicine.
Methods: Eighty-nine patients of PIVD were enrolled and divided into the treated group (n = 57) and the control group (n = 32). They were all treated with oral taking of Fuyuan mixture (FYM, consisted of ginseng, medlar, salvia, bitter cardamon, etc). To the treated group, SCN was applied additionally with the unilateral area around the reflecting region (localized by CT) in scalp as main needling points and Ganshu, Shenshu, Zusanli, Hegu as supplementary points. Two courses of SCN were performed. The changes of clinical symptoms, intelligence and hemorrheological characteristics in patients were analysed.
Results: After two courses of treatment, the total effective rate in the treated group was 96.5%, which was better than that in the control group (75.0%), with significant difference (u = 2.423, P < 0.01); HDS scores increased in both groups after treatment, showing significant difference as compared with that before treatment (P < 0.01), hemorrheologic parameters were also apparently improved.
Conclusion: CT positioning SCN combined Chinese herbal medicine treatment has definite therapeutic effect in treating PIVD.