NCT02603588

The Effects of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Acupuncture on Nasal Function

Effects of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Acupuncture on Nasal Ventilation and Autonomic Nervous Activity in Healthy Volunteers

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 44 (actual)
• Sponsor: Beijing Tongren Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 45 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG)-acupuncture has been shown to exhibit distinct effects in treatment of nasal inflammatory disease, but the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Investigators aimed to assess the effects of SPG acupuncture for nasal ventilation function and autonomic nervous system in health volunteers. The randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial enrolled healthy volunteers.Healthy subjects were randomly assigned to either active SPG-acupuncture group or sham-acupuncture group. All subjects were assessed for self-reported nasal ventilation, nasal patency (nasal airway resistance (NAR) and nasal cavity volume (NVC)), exhaled nasal nitric oxide (nNO) before and after acupuncture. Meanwhile, in order to explore underlying mechanisms of SPG acupuncture, the changes in neuropeptides (substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY)) in nasal secretions were investigated at baseline, 30 minutes, 2 hours, and 24 hours after acupuncture.

Conditions

• Healthy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	active sphenopalatine ganglion acupuncture	The acupuncture point was selected in the sphenopalatine ganglion (unilateral side). The acupuncture needle was inserted from the lower border of the zygomatic arch, slightly posterior to the suture protuberance between the zygomatic process and temporal process. The needle was rotated until the participant felt "de-qi" sensations.
PROCEDURE	sham sphenopalatine ganglion acupuncture	The acupuncture point was selected same to the sphenopalatine ganglion. But the needle was inserted at the selected acupuncture site to a depth of only 2-3cm, and the procedure of rotating, twirling and thrusting the needle was repeated, in order to blind the subject to the sham treatment.

Timeline

• Start date: 2014-02-01
• Primary completion: 2015-03-01
• Completion: 2015-08-01
• First posted: 2015-11-13
• Last updated: 2015-11-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China