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RecruitingNCT06393231Updated May 16, 2024

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

An interventional study of acupuncture in Peripheral Facial Paralysis, sponsored by Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-05-16.

Sponsored by Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by May 2025, 1 year 6 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started May 2024; still recruiting 2 years 6 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
120
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

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.

Read the 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.

02

Conditions studied

  • Peripheral Facial Paralysis

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Keywords

  • peripheral facial paralysis
  • acupuncture
  • sequelae
03

In context

Facial Paralysis

81 studies on the registry are indexed under Facial Paralysis; 28 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 120 is above the median of 50 across 59 interventional studies indexed under Facial Paralysis.

Browse Facial Paralysis studies →

Lead sponsor

Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University is the lead sponsor of 224 studies on the registry; 110 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

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 Form

Exclusion criteria

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
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Care provider)
Enrollment
120 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    observation group

    Sunnybrook score ≥83 points

    Other: acupuncture

  • Active comparator
    control group

    Sunnybrook score ≥95 points

    Other: acupuncture

Interventions

  • Otheracupuncture

    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

    Also known as: infrared irradiation therapy, moxibustion

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Sunnybrook(SB) score

    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)。

    Time frame: Change from Baseline scores of SB score at at 6-months after onset.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Sunnybrook(SB) score

    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)。

    Time frame: Change from Baseline scores of SB score at at 3、12months after onset.

  2. Electroneuronography (ENoG)

    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.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline amplitude and potential of CAMP and the numbers of pathological ENoG at at 6、12months after onset.

  3. Blink Reflex

    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.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline number of pathological Blink Reflex at 6、12months after onset.

  4. Facial disability index (FDI)

    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

    Time frame: Change from Baseline scores of FDI score at at 3、6、12months after onset.

  5. Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)

    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).

    Time frame: Change from Baseline scores of FDI score at at 3、6、12months after onset.

  6. Self-Rating Depression Scale(SDS)

    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).

    Time frame: Change from Baseline scores of FDI score at at 3、6、12months after onset.

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 16, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06393231
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 1, 2024
Start date
May 2, 2024
Primary completion
May 2025 (estimated)
Completion
May 2026 (estimated)
Last update
May 16, 2024

Study contacts

Bingguo Xu
Contact
xubg2008@qq.com
13813846072
xiaohan zhang
Contact
zhangxiaohan3000@163.com
15955165670
Bingguo Xu
study director · The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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