We performed this study to examine the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on
postoperative pain,
postoperative nausea and vomiting (
PONV) and recovery in patients after a
supratentorial tumor resection. Eighty-eight patients requiring a
supratentorial tumor resection were anesthetized with
sevoflurane and randomly allocated to a no treatment group (Group C) or an EA group (Group A). After
anesthesia induction, the patients in Group A received EA at LI4 and SJ5, at BL63 and LR3 and at ST36 and GB40 on the same side as the
craniotomy. The stimulation was continued until the end of the operation. Patient-controlled intravenous
analgesia (PCIA) was used for the postoperative
analgesia. The
postoperative pain scores,
PONV, the degree of
dizziness and appetite were recorded. In the first 6 hours after the operation, the mean total bolus, the effective times of PCIA bolus administrations and the VAS scores were much lower in the EA group (p < 0.05). In the EA group, the incidence of
PONV and degree of
dizziness and feeling of fullness in the head within the first 24 hours after the operation was much lower than in the control group (p < 0.05). In the EA group, more patients had a better appetite than did the patients in group C (51.2% vs. 27.5%) (p < 0.05). The use of EA in neurosurgery patients improves the quality of postoperative
analgesia, promotes appetite recovery and decreases some uncomfortable sensations, such as
dizziness and feeling of fullness in the head.