头颈癌切除术后导致的面瘫（FP）严重影响患者的生活质量。传统评估依赖于主观评估和肌电图，而功能性磁共振成像为增强康复提供了一种无创替代方案。针灸在促进大脑皮层重组方面已显示出希望，但针灸引起的结构和功能变化之间的确切关系仍不清楚，需要进一步研究治疗机制。 55 名 FP 患者接受了体素镜像同伦连接 (VMHC) 的评估和基于束的空间统计，分为针刺干预组（n = 35）和伪干预组（n = 20）。对干预前后的指标进行比较分析，以描述针灸干预中治疗引起的改变。组间针刺后效果验证了准确定位对于FP康复的必要性。FP患者在中央后区、中央前区和顶叶区表现出VMHC缺陷。治疗后，在基于束的空间统计中，胼胝体和内囊显示白质骨骼的各向异性分数显着增加。干预后结果比较，针刺干预组显示 VMHC 缺陷和胼胝体区域分数各向异性增加。早期针刺干预可能会抑制皮质过度激活并恢复胼胝体半球间抑制，从而抑制适应不良的结构可塑性。精确的穴位定位对于有效的治疗至关重要，凸显了针灸后皮质空间数据在完善治疗策略方面的潜力。版权所有 © 2024，医学博士 Mutaz B. Habal。

Facial paralysis (FP), which resulted from head and neck cancer resection, significantly impacts patients' quality of life. Traditional assessments rely on subjective evaluations and electromyography, whereas functional magnetic resonance imaging offers a noninvasive alternative for enhanced rehabilitation. Acupuncture has shown promise in promoting cerebral cortex reorganization, yet the precise relationship between acupuncture-induced structural and functional changes remains unclear, necessitating further investigation into therapeutic mechanisms.Fifty-five patients afflicted with FP underwent evaluations using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) and tract-based spatial statistics and were divided into the acupuncture intervention group (n = 35) and pseudo intervention group (n = 20). Comparative analyses of metrics pre and postintervention were conducted to delineate therapy-induced modifications in acupuncture intervention. The postacupuncture effect between groups to verify the necessity of accurate positioning for the rehabilitation of FP.Patients with FP showed deficits in VMHC in regions of the postcentral, precentral, and parietal areas. Corpus callosum and internal capsule showed significantly increased fractional anisotropy of the white matter skeleton in tract-based spatial statistics after treatment. Comparison postintervention results between groups exhibited deficits in VMHC and increased fractional anisotropy in regions of the corpus callosum in the acupuncture intervention group.Early acupuncture intervention may suppress cortical hyperactivation and restore interhemispheric inhibition across the corpus callosum to inhibit maladaptive structural plasticity. Precise acupoint localization is crucial for effective therapy, highlighting the potential of postacupuncture cortical space data for refining therapeutic strategies.Copyright © 2024 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.