Electroacupuncture for patients with spasticity after stroke A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture in the treatment of spasticity after stroke. Methods: We will electronically search PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wan-Fang Database from the date of creation to November 2020. In addition, we will manually retrieve other resources including the reference lists of identified publications, conference articles, and gray literature. The clinical randomized controlled trials or quasi-randomized controlled trials related to electroacupuncture in the treatment of spasticity after stroke will be included in the study. The language is limited to Chinese and English. Research selection, data extraction, and research quality assessment will be independently completed by 2 researchers. Data were synthesized by using a fixed effect model or random effect model depend on the heterogeneity test. The modified Ashworth scale was the primary outcomes. Simplified Fugl-Meyer assessment scale (FMA), Stroke specific quality of life scale (SS-QOL) and adverse events will also be assessed as secondary outcomes. RevMan V.5.3 statistical software will be used for meta-analysis. If it is not appropriate for a meta- analysis, then a descriptive analysis will be conducted. Data synthesis will use the risk ratio and the standardized or weighted average difference of continuous data to represent the results. Results: This study will provide a high-quality synthesis to assess the effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture in the treatment of spasticity after stroke. Conclusion: This systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether electroacupuncture is an effective and safety intervention for patients with spasticity after stroke. Ethics and dissemination: The protocol of the systematic review does not require ethical approval because it does not involve humans. We will publish this article in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences. Systematic review registration: CRD42021220300.