The Use Of Acupuncture As A Method For The Examination Of Sensory System And A Consultation On The Concept Of "Complete Loss Of Sensation"

Xue Chongcheng (Department of Neuropsychiatry and Neurosurgery, the People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region)

It was found in 1949 that the needling sensation of acupuncture had been preserved in a patient who was diagnosed as a case of complete loss of sensations over her both paralyzed lower limbs using classical sensory examinations. After liberation in our country, a series of 59 similar patients had been observed, 47 of them were male and the others female, aged 11-70 years. All were mentally normal, cooperative and communicative in language with the examiner. The needling sensation was elicited in 34 patients including cases of lesions involving different levels of the CNS and peripheral nerves, and also functional illness. Duration of observation was from one month to more than 10 years. Fifteen cases of 24 paraplegics had taken operative and other treatments after discovery of the needling sensation and they were cured or relieved in different degrees. One of them could walk 15 years later and another developed epileptic attacks when violent involuntary movements had been present over his completely paralyzed lower limbs. This revealed that the descending fibers were somewhat preserved in the cord while the needling sensation showed that some ascending fibers had been spared before. Some spinal injuries underwent operative treatment depending upon the needling sensation as the only surgical criterion, and after the operation, the diagnosis of "complete anatomical transverse section of the cord" was discarded and conditions were much improved. One case of cerebral hemorrhage had needling sensation prior to the disappearance of hemianopsia, hemianesthesia and hemiplegia. Therefore the needling sensation gave an early signal of recovery of the nervous function. Four hysterics who had been quite troublesome to be differentiated from organic diseases were almost immediately cured or much improved after revelation of the needling sensation. These evidences mentioned above verified the validity of the judgements based upon the occurrence of the needling sensation. The needling sensation is obtained by inserting a needle into the deep tissues of the body with certain manipulations and differs from the classical neurological sensory examinations which are performed on the body surface. So it can still be present when other sensations can not be elicited by routine methods. Meantime these events suggest that the use of acupuncture as a method for sensory examination is an adjunct to judgements of case severity and prognosis, and differentiation of functional or organic nature in diseases of sensory disorders. It is much benefit for treatment, e.g. using it as an indication for operation. Therefore it can be concluded that acupuncture can be used as a method for sensory examination. There has been no new reports since the introduction of bilateral simultaneous stimulation for the examination of general afferent system by Bender in 1952 and now acupuncture takes a new step forward. It can thus be also concluded that the concept of the so called complete loss of sensations, defined upon the basis of previous limitation of examination procedures, cannot be acknowledged when acupuncture examination has not been performed.