Forskningsresultat


Speciallægerne Hans Kryger Kjerkegaard, Thorkild Bøgh Christenesen og Ruth Kirkeby har ved en dobbeltblindet undersøgelse af guldimplantation ved cervikalartrose (slidgigt i nakken) fundet signifikant effekt ved denne metode.

I deres undersøgelse indgik 46 patienter. Af disse fik ca. halvdelen implanteret guld, mens den anden halvdel gennemgik samme procedure, altså undersøgelse og en "snyde-behandling" uden indlæggelse af guld. Efter ca. et år blev effekten opgjort i de to grupper og sammenlignet statistisk. Forsøget var dobbeltblindet, hvor hverken patient, operatør eller den læge, som foretog undersøgelsen i efterforløbet viste, om der var implanteret guld.

Der blev trukket lod mellem patienterne om, hvilken behandling de skulle have. 22 patienter fik ikke implanteret guld. Kun 2 patienter fra denne gruppe angav at have det bedre. Dette svarer til 9 %. 24 patienter fik guldimplantation. I denne gruppe var der efter et år 16 patienter, der fortalte at de havde god effekt af behandlingen, altså 67%. Nu efter et par år angiver 19 af de 24 patienter i guldgruppen, at der er god effekt af behandlingen.

 

Forside

Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Pain-Relieving Effect of Gold Bead Implantation on Cervical Osteoarthritis Hans Kryger Kjerkegaard, MD,1,2 Ruth Kirkeby, MD,1 Thorkild B. Christensen, MD,1 and Lise Schlu¨nzen, MD1 ABSTRACT Background: Since the 1970s, veterinarians have treated animals with gold implantation at acupuncture points for different chronic joint pain conditions. Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effect of gold bead implantation on patients with cervical osteoarthritis (CO) in a randomized, double-blinded placebo-control study. Design, Setting, and Patients: Forty-six patients with X-ray verified CO with chronic pain (visual analogue scale [VAS] 6) were enrolled in the study. Intervention: The patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups: Group A (n¼24) was treated with gold implantations, and Group B (n¼22) received placebo treatment. Main Outcome Measure: A neurologist (blinded for the treatment modality) determined the VAS-scores and amount of analgesic treatment before and 1 year after the intervention. Results: In Group A, 16/24 and, in Group B, 2/22 patients stated a marked reduction of their symptoms (consumption of painkillers was reduced by 30% or more) 1 year after the treatment. The VAS score was significantly reduced from 7 (6–9) to 2 (0–9) in Group A ( p<0.001) and unchanged (VAS¼7) in group B, 1 year after the intervention. Conclusions: The present study revealed that the pain-relieving effects of extra-articular gold bead implantation is a promising treatment modality with long-term palliative effects for patients with CO. Key Words: Gold Implantation, Acupuncture, Analgesia, Osteoarthritis INTRODUCTION Cervical osteoarthritis (OA) is a common and painful disease that mainly affects older people, usually over age 40. This condition results from degenerative changes that occur in the cervical spine. Over time, the degenerative changes in the vertebrae can lead to nerve compression or inflammation. Treatments for neck pain are varied, as are the perceptions of benefits. Conventional treatment is usually with medication and the use of a cervical collar. However, if this fails, then surgery may be necessary. Acupuncture has been used as an alternative to more conventional treatments for cervical OA, but the improvement is often short-lasting.1 The idea of producing a lasting acupuncture stimulus was started in the 1970s by American veterinarians who implanted gold beads in dogs suffering from acetabular dysplasia.2 Two recent articles have revealed that gold bead implantation has a significant pain-relieving effect in a 6-month and a 2-year controlled 1The Danish Medical Association of Acupuncture, Copenhagen, Denmark. 2Gold Implant Clinic, A ° arhus, Denmark. The present work has been presented at the International Council of Medical Acupunture and Related Techniques (ICMART) Congress, September 10–12, 2008. MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE Volume 23, Number 2, 2011 # Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/acu.2010.0775 87