[ acupuncture combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for post-stroke aphasia: a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture (acupuncture for opening orifices and relieving aphasia) combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on language ability and daily life communication ability in patients with post-stroke aphasia (PSA).

Methods: Fifty-six patients with PSA were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 28 cases in each group. Both groups received routine symptomatic treatment. The control group was treated with speech rehabilitation training and rTMS. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, the observation group was treated with acupuncture at the speech area Ⅰ, Fengchi (GB 20), Tongli (HT 5), Lianquan (CV 23), Panglianquan (Extra), etc. Panglianquan (Extra) on both sides were connected to electroacupuncture, with intermittent wave, 2 Hz in frequency. The above treatment was performed once a day for 5 consecutive days, followed by 2 days of rest for 2 weeks. The scores of western aphasia battery (WAB, including scores of spontaneous speech, auditory comprehension, repetition, naming and score of aphasia quotient [AQ]) and communication abilities in daily living (CADL) in the two groups were compared before and after treatment.

Results: After treatment, the spontaneous speech, auditory comprehension, repetition, naming scores and AQ scores in both groups were higher than those before treatment (<0.05), and the increase in the observation group was greater than the control group (<0.05). The CADL scores of the two groups were higher than those before treatment (<0.05).

Conclusion: acupuncture combined with rTMS can improve the language ability and daily life communication ability of PSA patients.