NCT05279963

EA for BPS: An RCT and Study for Central Mechanism

Electroacupuncture for Bladder Pain Syndrome: An Randomized Controlled Trial and Study for Central Mechanism

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 84 (estimated)
• Sponsor: The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This is a randomized controlled and assessor-blinded design trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for bladder pain syndrome(BPS). All eligible participants will be randomly assigned to the medication group(n=21), EA group(n=42) and SA group(n=21) in a 1:2:1 allocation ratio. Participants will receive 4-week treatments phase followed by a 4-week follow-up phase. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, during the treatment and at the end of the follow-up. Outcome assessors, data managers and statisticians will be blinded to the group allocation, while acupuncturists and participants will not be blinded for obvious reasons. Besides, fMRI will be used to collect spontaneous electrical activity of the brain of patients. In this trial, the investigators assume that electroacupuncture for BPS, compared to amitriptyline, is instrumental in improving symptoms such as pain, frequent micturition and emotional disorder.

Detailed description

Participants will be primarily recruited from gynecology, urology and acupuncture departments during outpatient service. All patients will be randomly assigned to either the medication group, EA group or SA group via random number table. SAS 9.3 software will be adopted to generate random numbers. The independent clinical research assistant will be responsible for generating random numbers and making random allocation cards, each with its group allocation information and sealed into an opaque envelope, which will not be open until the first treatment. According to the order of enrollment, eligible participants will be randomly assigned into the medication, EA or SA group at 1:2:1 ratio under the allocation in the envelope. Due to the characteristics of acupuncture, acupuncture manipulators cannot be blinded. Nevertheless, to avoid the subjective bias of researchers and subjects, outcome assessment and statistical analysis will be performed by different researchers blinded to the allocation information. Patients are informed that they will receive one of two effective acupuncture interventions after enrollment, and during the treatment, patients in EA or SA groups will be in separate rooms to avoid communication. Outcome assessors and statisticians will be blind to the group allocations. The participant's allocated intervention will not be revealed until the statistical analysis reports are completed. Participants in the medication group will be merely treated with oral administration of amitriptyline capsule. The dosage of amitriptyline is 25 mg bid, for 4 weeks. Any changes in the medications of individual participants will be recorded on diary cards. In EA group, acupuncture treatment is carried out by acupuncturists who have been well trained. Acupuncture will be performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25 ×40 mm(diameter: 0.25 mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China). Patients are asked to lie in a prone position with whole body relaxed. Both the skin around the selected acupoints and the hand of acupuncturists are routinely disinfected, after insertion, manipulations of twirling, lifting and uniform reinforcing reducing manipulation will be performed on all needles to elicit 'deqi'. The compositional sensation of 'deqi' involves with numbness, soreness, distention, aching and heaviness, which are believed to be an essential component for acupuncture efficacy. Electroacupuncture procedures will be performed with electronic instruments (Hans-100A, Nanjing Jisheng Medical TechnologyCo., Ltd, China). Two paired of acupoints (i.e., two Shenshu(BL23) and two Ciliao(BL32), respectively) are connected to the EA apparatus. Alternating-frequency mode is selected and frequency is 2/100 Hz. EA intensity is determined in accordance with patients' endurance. EA will last for 30 min for each treatment. Patients will receive a total number of 12 EA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks. In SA group, Acupuncture will be conducted by well-trained acupuncturists and performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25×40 mm (diameter: 0.25 mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China). Patients are asked to lie in a prone position with whole body relaxed. Both the skin around the selected acupoint and the hand of acupuncturists are routinely disinfected. The needles are subcutaneously inserted to non-meridian and non-acupoints regions. SA procedures will be performed with electronic instruments (Hans-100A, Nanjing Jisheng Medical Technology Co., Ltd, China). Two paired of points are connected to the electronic instruments. Alternating-frequency mode is selected and the frequency is 2/100 Hz. Different from the EA group, the apparatus will run without electricity in the SA group. The procedure will last for 30 min. Patients will receive a total number of 12 SA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks. Outcomes, such as Visual analog scale, O'Leary-Sant questionnaire, 24-hour voiding diary, Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Hamilton Depression Scale, will be assessed at baseline, during the treatment and at the end of the follow-up. Outcome assessors, data managers and statisticians will be blinded to the group allocation, while acupuncturists and participants will not be blinded for obvious reasons. Besides, fMRI will be used to collect spontaneous electrical activity of the brain of patients, and the changes of spontaneous electrical activity of specific brain regions, resting brain functional connectivity and information interaction of multifunctional areas will be analyzed.

Conditions

• Bladder Pain Syndrome

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	electroacupuncture	The prespecified acupoints applied here will include bilateral Sanyinjiao(SP6), Shenshu(BL23), Ciliao(BL32), Zhongliao(BL33), Zhibian(BL54) . Acupuncture treatment is carried out by acupuncturists who have been well trained. Acupuncture will be performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25 ×40 mm(diameter: 0.25mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China). Electroacupuncture procedures will be performed with electronic instruments (Hans-100A, Nanjing Jisheng Medical TechnologyCo., Ltd, China). Two paired of acupoints (i.e., two Shenshu(BL23) and two Ciliao(BL32), respectively) are connected to the EA apparatus. Alternating-frequency mode is selected and frequency is 2/100 Hz. EA intensity is determined in accordance with patients' endurance. EA will last for 30 min for each treatment. Patients will receive a total number of 12 EA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks.
DRUG	Amitriptyline	Participants in the medication group will be merely treated with oral administration of amitriptyline capsule. The dosage of amitriptyline is 25mg bid, for 4 weeks. Any changes in the medications of individual participants will be recorded on diary cards.
PROCEDURE	sham electroacupuncture	In the trunk region, the points are 5 cm away from respective acupoints. In the lower limb region, the point is 3 cm away from Sanyinjiao(SP6). All points will only receive shallow insertion. Acupuncture will be performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25 ×40 mm(diameter: 0.25mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China).The needles are shallowly inserted to the subcutaneous area, and acupoints are connected to the EA apparatus without electricity. The frequency, intensity and duration of treatment will be the same as the electric needle group.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-03-16
• Primary completion: 2024-12-24
• Completion: 2025-01-23
• First posted: 2022-03-15
• Last updated: 2024-12-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China