Iovoli Austin J, Singh Anurag K
Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA.
J Radiother Pract. 2017 Jun;16(2):217-220. doi: 10.1017/S1460396917000024. Epub 2017 May 8.
Accupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (ALTENS) therapy has been shown in prospective studies to be effective in the treatment of radiation-induced xerostomia. Those studies treated patients within 27 months from end of radiation with ALTENS delivered in the clinic using a Codetron unit. However, that unit is no longer produced and there is limited data on success of ALTENS when delivered at home.
A 50-year old man with xerostomia, 8 years post-radiation for T4N1 squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsillar fossa, was given ALTENS with a currently commercially available unit from Girish Surgical. He used the unit at home, 20 minutes daily for 8 weeks.
After 8 weeks of ALTENS therapy the patient saw a reduction in the Self-Reported University of Michigan Xerostomia-Related Quality of Life Scale from 20 to 1.
This case report demonstrates (1) the Girish Surgical unit is effective, (2) self-administration of ALTENS in patients who cannot come to clinic regularly may be practical and (3) ALTENS can still offer durable benefit to patients even 8 years after chemoradiation therapy.
前瞻性研究表明，针刺样经皮电神经刺激（ALTENS）疗法在治疗放射性口干症方面有效。这些研究使用Codetron装置在诊所对放疗结束后27个月内的患者进行ALTENS治疗。然而，该装置已不再生产，关于在家中进行ALTENS治疗成功的数据有限。
一名50岁男性，因扁桃体窝T4N1鳞状细胞癌放疗后8年出现口干症，使用Girish Surgical公司目前市售的装置进行ALTENS治疗。他在家中使用该装置，每天20分钟，持续8周。
经过8周的ALTENS治疗，患者自我报告的密歇根大学口干症相关生活质量量表评分从20降至1。
本病例报告表明：（1）Girish Surgical公司的装置有效；（2）对于无法定期到诊所就诊的患者，自我进行ALTENS治疗可能可行；（3）即使在放化疗治疗8年后，ALTENS仍可为患者带来持久益处。
