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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04318821

Effect of Laser Acupuncture on Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction

Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) is one of the most common complications and is a major cause of admission after intra-abdominal surgery. To date, the ideal management of ASBO remains controversial. The aim of this protocol designed as a double-blind randomized controlled trial is to investigate the efficacy of laser acupuncture (LA) therapy in patients with ASBO.

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Key information

Conditions

Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction

Age range

20 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Kaohsiung City, 833, Taiwan

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Aged 20 to 80 years
  • Clinical symptoms and signs of mechanical obstruction

Exclusion criteria

  • Clear non-adhesive etiology of small bowel obstruction (e.g. tumor, hernia)
  • Emergency surgical intervention before being admitted to the hospital
  • Pregnancy
  • Local skin infection on the acupoints, and limb amputees.

Treatment and study plan

laser acupuncture

Procedure

Laser acupuncture is a non-invasive therapy that involves stimulation of traditional acupoints with low-intensity, non-thermal laser irradiation.

Primary outcomes

  1. Success rate of conservative treatment

    Time frame: 2 week

    Defined as no need for long term nasogastric tube decompression and operative intervention.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Time to oral intake

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    Defined as participants can try intake due to symptoms improved including nausea, vomiting, distension and pain.

  2. Length of hospital stay

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Date from admission to discharge

  3. Serum lipase

    Time frame: Up to 2 weeks

    Serum lipase

  4. Serum amylase

    Time frame: Up to 2 weeks

    Serum amylase

  5. Serum cortisol

    Time frame: Up to 2 weeks

    Serum cortisol

  6. Serum motilin

    Time frame: Up to 2 weeks

    Serum motilin

  7. Serum ghrelin

    Time frame: Up to 2 weeks

    Serum ghrelin

  8. Serum intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP)

    Time frame: Up to 2 weeks

    Serum intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effect of Laser Acupuncture on Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction: a Prospective Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Mar 24, 2020
Registry last updated
Aug 17, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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