Effect of acupuncture on unilateral spatial neglect after stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

To systematically evaluate the effects of acupuncture in patients with unilateral spatial neglect (USN) after stroke.Relevant English- and Chinese- language studies published until 12th February 2022, were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, China Scientific Journals Database (VIP), SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science and OVID.Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of acupuncture in patients with USN after stroke were included. Two researchers independently identified eligible studies and extracted the data. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions v5.1.0.Twelve studies (731 participants) were included. The meta-analysis found that compared with the control group, acupuncture increased MMSE, BI, MBI, and FMA scores and reduced the USN scores (all P < 0.05). These results indicated that acupuncture improved cognitive function, activities of daily living (ADLs), and motor function and relieved the degree of USN in patients with USN after stroke.Acupuncture could promote the rehabilitation of cognitive function, ADLs, and motor function and relieve the symptoms of USN in patients with USN after stroke. It may be a good complementary treatment to rehabilitation therapy for USN.