Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared any type of acupuncture to no acupuncture in patients with clinically diagnosed ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke were eligible for inclusion. Patients had to have been diagnosed with dysphagia using bedside swallowing assessment, VFSS (video fluoroscopic swallowing study) or FEES (fibre-optic endoscopic examination of swallowing). Studies were excluded if they: performed acupuncture without needles; compared different types of needling; included patients with dementia, other cognitive or mental disorder or pulmonary infection; were deemed to be of low quality; or were not published as full papers.
The outcomes considered were bedside swallowing assessment, VFSS, FEES, quality of life and adverse events. Patients were generally aged between 40 and 82. The intervention took place between one week and six months after the stroke and patients were generally in the acute or subacute stages of recovery. Most patients received feeding and swallowing rehabilitation training but some received only conventional treatment or medication. The treatment period lasted from 24 to 30 days. Treatment frequency varied.
It appeared that two reviewers independently assessed studies for inclusion.