American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. · Aug 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialPreventive effects of transcutaneous electrical acustimulation on ischemic stroke-induced constipation mediated via the autonomic pathway.
The aim of this study was to explore the preventive effect and possible mechanisms of transcutaneous electrical acustimulation (TEA) on stroke-induced constipation. A total of 86 ischemic stroke patients were randomly allocated to 2-wk TEA or sham-TEA group. Bowel dairy and Bristol Stool Form Scale were recorded daily. ⋯ NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study illustrated that the brain-gut dysfunction, primarily autonomic function imbalance, was correlated with the stroke-induced constipation. This was the first study to report that transcutaneous electrical acustimulation had a preventive effect on stroke-induced constipation, suggesting a potential novel therapy for bowel problem management. The effect was possibly mediated via the autonomic function.