and Acupoint Selection Patterns: Data Mining and Network Analysis.

Background: Combinations of and points are widely used to treat internal organ issues in both clinical practice and scientific research. We investigated the selection patterns of and points used in clinical trials. We also conducted a network analysis to identify the most common combinations of these acupoints.

Methods: Based on 421 clinical studies, the frequencies of the and points were extracted from the Acusynth database. A network analysis was performed to determine the eigenvector centrality, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality of these acupoint combinations.

Results: points were more frequently used with Fu (hollow) organs, whereas points were more frequently used with Zang (solid) organs. Network analysis revealed that both and points were used together and in combination with major acupoints.

Conclusions: We demonstrated the acupoint selection patterns and combinations of and points using data mining. These results will aid clinicians in comprehending clinical database-driven and point selection patterns.