Perforating cutaneous vessels: A key feature of acupoints - Anatomical evidence from five-Shu acupoints in the upper limbs.
Clin Anat
; 37(1): 33-42, 2024 Jan.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37340879
ABSTRACT
Acupuncture has been proven an effective clinical treatment for numerous pathological conditions and malfunctions. However, substantial anatomical evidence for acupuncture points (APs) and meridians is still lacking, so the location of APs is relatively subjective and understanding of the biological mechanisms of acupuncture is limited. All these problems hinder the clinical applications and worldwide acceptance of acupuncture. Our long-term microsurgery experience has indicated that Perforating Cutaneous Vessels (PCVs) are highly relevant to APs but the anatomical evidence is insufficient. To address this lack, two specimens of fresh adult human upper limbs were dissected using an advanced vascular perfusion-fixation method and then examined. The results show that all 30 five-Shu APs in the upper limbs have corresponding PCVs. Both specimens showed a 100% coincidence rate between APs and PCVs, indicating that PCVs could be critical anatomical features of APs. This study also provides an anatomical basis for locating APs objectively via preliminary detection of PCVs. The findings could lead to a better theoretical understanding of mechanisms of acupuncture and the essence of meridians.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Terapia por Acupuntura
/
Meridianos
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Clin Anat
Asunto de la revista:
ANATOMIA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos