Liang C, Qiu FX, Zhang XC, Hu QL. Effects of gastrointestinal motility therapy combined with acupuncture on gastrointestinal function in patients after laparoscopic radical surgery. World J Gastrointest Surg 2025; 17(6): 104325 [PMID: 40584481 DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i6.104325]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Qi-Long Hu, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, No. 2209 Guangxing Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai 201619, China. hqlhz1@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Retrospective Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jun 27, 2025 (publication date) through Mar 18, 2026
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Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
ISSN
1948-9366
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Liang C, Qiu FX, Zhang XC, Hu QL. Effects of gastrointestinal motility therapy combined with acupuncture on gastrointestinal function in patients after laparoscopic radical surgery. World J Gastrointest Surg 2025; 17(6): 104325 [PMID: 40584481 DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i6.104325]
Chen Liang, Feng-Xi Qiu, Xiao-Cun Zhang, Qi-Long Hu, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 201619, China
Author contributions: Liang C designed the research methods and experimental design; Liang C, Qiu FX, and Zhang XC contributed to the data collection, processing, and analysis; Liang C wrote the initial draft of the paper and participated in discussions and revisions; Qiu FX and Zhang XC assisted in paper writing and revision; Hu QL was responsible for the planning, design, and implementation of the entire study; supervised and coordinated the overall research; ensured the completeness and accuracy of the research; and provided economic and technical support.
Supported by Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), Key Project within the Hospital, No. 2024CRZD007; and Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, 2024-2025 Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Project, No. 2024QN063.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, No [2024]117.
Informed consent statement: The need for patient consent was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Data sharing statement: Dataset available from the corresponding author at hqlhz@163.com.
Corresponding author: Qi-Long Hu, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, No. 2209 Guangxing Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai 201619, China. hqlhz1@163.com
Received: February 7, 2025 Revised: March 10, 2025 Accepted: April 21, 2025 Published online: June 27, 2025 Processing time: 112 Days and 1.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is common after laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer and affects rehabilitation. While conventional treatments can alleviate symptoms to a certain extent, they often fail to fully address the issue of insufficient GI motility. The GI motility therapeutic apparatus promotes dynamic recovery by simulating GI electric waves, whereas acupuncture regulates zang-fu qi movement, both offering effective interventions. However, there are few clinical studies investigating the combined use of GI motility therapy and acupuncture to promote GI function recovery in patients after GI laparoscopic radical surgery.
AIM
To evaluate the effects of combining GI motility therapy devices with acupuncture on GI function in patients undergoing radical laparoscopic surgery.
METHODS
This retrospective study included 196 patients who underwent radical GI endoscopic surgery at the Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, from June 2022 to May 2024. Patients were classified into a normal group (conventional treatment, n = 96) and an integrated group (conventional + GI motility therapy device + acupuncture, n = 100). The effects on GI function, hormone levels pre- and post-treatment, GI symptoms, immune function, adverse reactions, and patient satisfaction in both groups were assessed.
RESULTS
Compared with the normal group, the integrated group demonstrated significantly better overall effectiveness (93.00% vs 84.3%; P < 0.05) and shorter durations for first exhaust, feeding, defecation, and hospital stay (P < 0.05). Post-treatment, the integrated group had lower gastrin and GI symptom rating scale scores and higher motilin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and immune marker (CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and natural killer cells) levels (P < 0.05). The integrated group, compared to the normal group, also reported fewer adverse reactions (5.00% vs 14.58%) and higher patient satisfaction (97.00% vs 84.38%), both statistically significant (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
The combination of a GI motility therapy device and acupuncture promotes GI function recovery after radical gastrectomy, regulates GI hormones and immune function, and is safe and effective.
Core Tip: Gastrointestinal (GI) laparoscopic surgery causes GI dysfunction, with signs of changes in defecation patterns, adhesive intestinal obstruction, and abdominal pain. We found that compared with conventional treatment, GI motility therapy combined with acupuncture can effectively promote the recovery of postoperative GI function, regulate GI hormones and immune function, and improve patient satisfaction with good safety.
