Invasive acupuncture for gastroparesis after thoracic or abdominal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectivesThis meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating postsurgical gastroparesis syndrome (PGS) after thoracic or abdominal surgery. DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis. Data sourcesTwelve databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline (Ovid) (from 1946), Web of Science, EBSCO, Scopus, Open Grey, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP) and China Biology Medicine disc (CBM)) and three registration websites (WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), ClinicalTrials.gov, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR)) were searched from the inception to September 2022, and citations of the included literature were screened. Eligibility criteriaAll randomised controlled trials addressing invasive acupuncture for PGS. Data extraction and synthesisKey information on the included studies was extracted by two reviewers independently. Risk ratio (RR) with 95% CI was used for categorical data, and mean difference with 95% CI for continuous data. The quality of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Outcomes were conducted with trial sequential analysis (TSA). ResultsFifteen studies with 759 patients met the inclusion criteria. Subgroup analyses revealed that compared with the drug group, the drug and acupuncture group had a greater positive effect on the total effective rate (TER) (nine trials, n=427; RR=1.20; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.32; P-heterogeneity=0.20, I-2=28%, p=0.0004) and the recovery rate (RCR) (six trials, n = 294; RR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.30 to 1.98; P-heterogeneity=0.29, I-2=19%, p<0.0001) of PGS after abdominal surgery. However, acupuncture showed no significant advantages in terms of the TER after thoracic surgery (one trial, p=0.13) or thoracic/abdominal surgery-related PGS (two trials, n = 115; RR=1.18; 95% CI 0.89 to 1.57; P-heterogeneity=0.08, I-2=67%, p=0.24) and the RCR after thoracic/abdominal surgery (two trials, n=115; RR=1.40; 95% CI 0.97 to 2.01; P-heterogeneity=0.96, I-2=0%, p=0.07). The quality of evidence for TER and RCR was moderate certainty. Only one study reported an acupuncture-related adverse event, in the form of mild local subcutaneous haemorrhage and pain that recovered spontaneously. TSA indicated that outcomes reached a necessary effect size except for clinical symptom score. ConclusionBased on subgroup analysis, compared with the drug treatment, acupuncture combined drug has significant advantages in the treatment of PGS associated with abdominal surgery, but not with thoracic surgery. PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022299189.

Automated summary

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating postsurgical gastroparesis syndrome (PGS) after thoracic or abdominal surgery. Fifteen studies with 759 patients were included. Subgroup analyses revealed that acupuncture combined drug had significant advantages in terms of the total effective rate and recovery rate of PGS after abdominal surgery, but not after thoracic surgery.