MedTrace Logo

Electroacupuncture-Induced Changes in Tongue Features in Early Stroke Patients Using ZMT-1A Imaging System

NCT07107958 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 385

Last updated 2025-08-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This prospective clinical study aims to evaluate changes in tongue characteristics before and after a four-week course of electroacupuncture in patients undergoing early rehabilitation following ischemic stroke. Electroacupuncture is widely used in Vietnam as part of traditional medicine-based stroke rehabilitation, yet few studies have objectively quantified its effects on tongue diagnosis.

The study uses the ZMT-1A Tongue Imaging System, an automated diagnostic tool developed in China and currently used at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City. The system enables standardized tongue image acquisition and analysis of key features such as tongue body color, tongue shape, coating color, and coating texture.

A total of 385 participants with confirmed ischemic stroke in the early recovery stage (from day 2 to 3 months post-stroke) will be recruited from three hospitals. Each participant will receive electroacupuncture treatment according to standardized protocols for 4 weeks. Tongue images will be collected before and after the intervention. The primary outcome is the change in tongue characteristics. Secondary outcomes include changes in functional status as measured by the Barthel Index and the correlation between tongue changes and functional improvement.

This study aims to provide evidence for the clinical relevance of tongue diagnosis in stroke rehabilitation and to explore its role in monitoring treatment response to electroacupuncture.

Conditions

  • Ischemia Stroke
  • Electro-acupuncture

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Electroacupuncture

Electroacupuncture is applied using standardized stroke rehabilitation protocols. Needles are inserted at acupoints including LI15 (Jianyu), LI11 (Quchi), TE5 (Waiguan), LI4 (Hegu), GB30 (Huantiao), ST36 (Zusanli), and GB34 (Yanglingquan), and connected to an electroacupuncture device delivering alternating current stimulation at 10-20 Hz. Each session lasts 15-20 minutes, performed once daily, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. The intervention follows Vietnam's national traditional medicine guidelines for post-stroke recovery.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Dr Nguyen Ngo Le Minh Anh MD, PhD

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Minh-Anh Nguyen Ngo Le, M.D., Ph.D. · Faculty of Traditional Medicine, UMP, HCMC

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-05-01
Primary Completion
2025-07-25
Completion
2025-07-29

Countries

  • Vietnam

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07107958 on ClinicalTrials.gov