Clinical observation of scalp acupuncture plus speech rehabilitation for Broca’s aphasia after cerebral stroke

Objective

To explore the clinical efficacy of scalp acupuncture plus speech rehabilitation in treating Broca’s aphasia after cerebral stroke, for providing novel evidences for the treatment.

Methods

Ninety-one eligible patients with Broca’s aphasia after cerebral stroke were randomized into an observation group and a control group. Forty-six cases in the observation group were intervened by scalp acupuncture plus speech rehabilitation, while 45 cases in the control group were treated by speech rehabilitation alone. The aphasia battery of Chinese (ABC) and Boston diagnostic aphasia examination (BDAE) were adopted to evaluate the clinical efficacy.

Results

After the treatment, the scores of oral expression, reading and writing and global score in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). There was a significant difference in comparing the BDAE grading between the two groups after the treatment (P<0.05). After intervention, the basically-recovered plus markedly-effective rate was 45.7% in the observation group versus 24.4% in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Scalp acupuncture plus speech rehabilitation is effective in treating Broca’s aphasia after cerebral stroke, and worth promoting.