AIM: To study the effect of acupuncture therapy on prognosis of hemiplegia in patients with cerebral infarction at different treatment time and select the best opportunity to treat the patients with acupuncture. METHODS: All 195 patients treated in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the People's Hospital of Xingtai from January 1999 to June 2004 were divided randomly into 3 groups: initial stage group (n = 65), week 2 group (n = 65) and week 4 group (n = 65). With the same drug treatment and rehabilitation nursing, they were treated by acupuncture therapy (Quchi, Jian' ou, etc in upper limb; Huantiao, Yanglingquan, etc in lower limb) at initial stage (within 72 hours) at the 2nd week and the 4th week for 4 consecutive weeks. The motor function and activity of daily life of patients were detected by using Fugl-Meyer Assessment and improved Barthel Index before and 4 and 8 weeks after treatment, respectively. The higher the scores were, the better the curative effect was. RESULTS: A total of 182 patients (62 cases were in initial stage group, 60 cases in week 2 group, 60 cases in week 4 group) were involved in the result analysis. (1) Scores on Fugl-Meyer Assessment increased significantly at week 8 in initial stage and week 2 groups as compared with week 4 group (81.07 +/- 13.40, 77.54 +/- 13.17, 69.01 +/- 15.68, q = 12.28, 8.76, p < 0.01), which was obviously higher in initial stage group than week 2 group (q = 3.60, p < 0.05); the scores in three groups increased significantly as compared with those before treatment (40.17 +/- 15.43, 39.75 +/- 16.04, 40.22 +/- 14.75, F = 40.97, p < 0.01). (2) Scores on improved Barthel Index increased significantly at week 8 in initial stage and week 2 groups as compared with week 4 group (81.30 +/- 17.34, 79.47 +/- 12.54, 70.17 +/- 14.56, q = 12.48, 10.72, p < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the former two groups (q = 2.11, p > 0.05); the scores in three groups increased significantly as compared with those before treatment (34.82 +/- 9.31, 33.79 +/- 10.35, 34.15 +/- 9.87, F = 47.69, p < 0.01). (3) No blood coagulatlon disturbance, liver or renal functional impairment due to therapy occurred in the three groups. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture therapy can improve the motor function and activity of daily life in patients with stroke. The earlier the therapy is, the better the effect is. Early therapy with acupuncture is safe and effective.

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