Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Mar 27, 2026; 18(3): 115158
Published online Mar 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i3.115158
Published online Mar 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i3.115158
Traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture for postoperative nausea and vomiting after cholecystectomy: Mechanistic insights and clinical evidence
Yu Shan, Hao-Xue Zhang, Department of The First Operation Room, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
Yan Jiao, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
Co-first authors: Yu Shan and Hao-Xue Zhang.
Author contributions: Shan Y wrote the initial draft; Zhang HX and Jiao Y contributed to the study design; Zhang HX contributed to revisions to the final manuscript; Jiao Y contributed to the literature review; Shan Y and Zhang HX contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-first authors. All authors approved the final version to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Yan Jiao, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, No. 1 Xinmin Street, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China. lagelangri1@126.com
Received: October 10, 2025
Revised: December 5, 2025
Accepted: January 8, 2026
Published online: March 27, 2026
Processing time: 169 Days and 10.4 Hours
Revised: December 5, 2025
Accepted: January 8, 2026
Published online: March 27, 2026
Processing time: 169 Days and 10.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Postoperative nausea and vomiting frequently complicates recovery after cholecystectomy despite advances in pharmacologic prophylaxis. This review summarizes recent mechanistic and clinical evidence supporting traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture as a safe, effective adjunctive therapy. Acupuncture modulates autonomic function, enhances gastrointestinal motility, and balances neurotransmitter signaling to reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting severity. Stimulation at Neiguan demonstrates consistent antiemetic benefits, suggesting that acupuncture may be integrated into multimodal perioperative management to optimize recovery and improve patient satisfaction.