Needles in the skin, needles through the rectum
Urology. 2003 Jun;61(6):1156-9.
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Acupuncture ameliorates symptoms in men with chronic
prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.
Chen R, Nickel JC.
Trillium Medical Center, Acupuncture Foundation of Canada,
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
To determine in a pilot study whether acupuncture improved pain,
voiding symptoms, and the quality of life of men with chronic
prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.Men diagnosed with chronic
prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (National Institutes of
Health [NIH] criteria) who were refractory to standard therapy
(antibiotics, alpha-blockers, anti-inflammatories, phytotherapy) were
referred for acupuncture therapy. The treatment protocol involved
three sets of acupuncture points totaling 30 points (8 points were
electrically stimulated) given alternatively twice weekly for 6 weeks.
The patients completed the NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index
(CPSI) at baseline and the CPSI and subjective global assessment at 6
weeks (end of treatment), 12 weeks, and at least 6 months after the
baseline assessment.Twelve men underwent a minimum of 6 weeks of
acupuncture treatment. The average follow-up (from baseline) was 33
weeks (range 24 to 52). A significant decrease occurred in total
NIH-CPSI (28.2 to 8.5), NIH-CPSI pain (14.1 to 4.8), NIH-CPSI urinary
(5.2 to 1.3), and NIH-CPSI quality-of-life (8.8 to 2.3) scores after
an average of 33 weeks of follow-up. Ten patients (83%) had a
sustained greater than 50% decrease in NIH-CPSI at final visit
(average 33 weeks). Ten patients (83%) reported marked improvement on
the subjective global assessment at 12 weeks. At an average of 33
weeks, 8 patients (67%) had sustained marked improvement on subjective
global assessment evaluation. No adverse events were reported in this
pilot study.Acupuncture appears to be a safe, effective, and durable
treatment in improving symptoms in, and the quality of life of, men
with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome refractory to
treatment. A larger controlled study is required to confirm these
encouraging initial results
Di Yi Jun Yi Da Xue Xue Bao. 2003 Jun;23(6):633-5.
Anatomic observation of the prostate for clinical application of local
drug injection through the rectum for chronic prostatitis.
Cheng JP, Dai JX, Liu YQ, Hong HW, Zhang XL, Zhang MR, Ye QY.
Guangzhou Institute of Dermatosis, Guangzhou 510095, China.
OBJECTIVE: To provide anatomic evidences for local drug injection
through the rectum for treating chronic prostatitis and observe the
therapeutic effect of this treatment. METHODS: Anatomic observation of
the median sagittal plane of 16 male pelvic specimens was conducted,
with special attention to the structures between the prostate and the
rectum. The distance from the posterior wall of the prostate to the
anterior wall of the rectum, the scope that allowed the entry of the
puncture needle, the appropriate puncture depth, and the distance from
the{*filter*} to the safe were carefully measured. Analysis of the clinical
record was performed in 51 chronic prostatitis cases treated with
local injection of prednisolone, antibiotic and lidocaine through the
rectum. RESULTS: Only some fat tissues and venous plexus were found
between the prostate and the anterior wall of the rectum, and the
distance from posterior wall of the prostate to the anterior wall of
the rectum averaged 5.773+/-0.710 mm. The scope for possible puncture
was 15.408 8+/-1.438 2 mm with a depth of 15.703 1+/-0.944 1 mm. The
maximum and minimum distances from the{*filter*} to the puncture were
47.594+/-2.432 mm and 35.781+/-1.850 mm, respectively. Among the 51
cases investigated, the total cure rate was 84.31%, and improvement
was achieved in 13.73% of the case, with only one case (2%) failed to
respond to the treatment. CONCLUSION: Local drug injection through the
rectum can be ideal for the treatment of prostatitis for its safety
and effectiveness
