Journal of Pain Research (Jun 2024)

Efficacy and Safety of Snap Needles in the Treatment of Postoperative Hemorrhoidal Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Huang Q,
  • Wang Y,
  • Wang X,
  • Xiang Z,
  • Wang H,
  • Wang A,
  • Liu W,
  • Gu Y

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 17
pp. 2015 – 2028

Abstract

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Qinqin Huang,1– 3 Yun Wang,1– 3 Xiaobao Wang,1 Zhenhua Xiang,1 Haixia Wang,1,2 Aiju Wang,1 Weiguo Liu,1 Yuming Gu1– 3 1Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong Province, 261042, People’s Republic of China; 2College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261000, People’s Republic of China; 3Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong Province, 261042, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yuming Gu, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical College, Weicheng District, Weifang City, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Snap Needles (SN) in the management of Postoperative Hemorrhoidal Pain (POHP).Patients and Methods: A systematic search was conducted in various databases, including EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, WanFang database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), spanning from their inception to August 2023, to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on SN for POHP. The primary outcome measure was the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), while secondary outcomes encompassed the Total Effective Rate (TER), Wound Healing Time (WHT), Pain Relief Time (PRT), Pain Disappearance Time (PDT), and Adverse Events (AEs). The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool was employed to assess the quality of individual studies. A meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4.1 software.Results: The meta-analysis included 11 RCTs involving 1188 POHP patients, with an overall assessment of study quality ranging from very low to moderate. The findings revealed that the SN group exhibited significant improvements in treatment outcomes when compared to the control group (CG). These improvements were reflected in reduced VAS scores (mean difference [MD] = − 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: − 1.31, − 0.89, P < 0.05), shorter WHT (MD = − 2.55, 95% CI: − 3.02, − 2.09, P < 0.05), quicker PRT (MD = − 7.99, 95% CI: − 8.48, − 7.49, P < 0.05), fewer AEs (risk ratio [RR] = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.67, P < 0.05), improved TER (RR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.27, P < 0.05), and faster PDT (MD = 19.24, 95% CI: 14.17, 24.31, P < 0.05).Conclusion: The use of SN appears to yield favorable outcomes in the treatment of POHP, and is potentially an alternative therapy to western drug therapy.Keywords: snap needles, SN, postoperative hemorrhoidal pain, POHP, auricular acupuncture, systematic review, meta-analysis

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