Table 1. Characteristics of the included studies.
| First author | No. of patients(observation/control) | Observation group | Control group | The main points | Course of treatment | The main outcomes |
| Tong (2013)[13] | 86(44/42) | Acupuncture plus rehabilitation | Rehabilitation | Cuanzhu (BL 2), Dangzhong(CV 17), Jianyu (LI 15), Yanglao (SI 16) | 30minutes, once a day, 5 days for a week, 4 weeks | Clinical efficacy Fugl-Meyer scale FIM |
| Weng (2013)[14] | 120(60/60) | Acupuncture plus rehabilitation | Rehabilitation | Penetration needling from Qianshencong (EX-HN 1) to Xuanli (GB 6), penetration needling from Baihui (GV 20) to Qubin(GB 7); Jiquan(HT 1), Chize (LU 5), Biguan (ST 31), Futu (ST 32) | 30minutes, once a day, 5 days for a week, 4 weeks | FMA |
| Du (2013) [15] | 60(30/30) | Acupuncture plus western medicine group | Western medicine group | Sibai (ST 2), Shuigou (DU 26), Jianyu (LI 15), Quchi (LI 11), Futu (ST 32), Zusanli (ST 36), Huangshu (KI 16), Tianshu(ST 25) | 30–40minutes, once a day, 5 days for a week, 2 weeks | Clinical efficacy NIHSS |
| Guo (2012) [16] | 67(34/33) | Acupuncture plus rehabilitation | Rehabilitation | Baihui (GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), Shuigou (DU 26), Hegu (LI 4), Neiguan (PC 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Taichong(LR 3) | 30minutes, once a day, 2 weeks | NIHSS |
| Shen (2012)[17] | 287(144/143) | Acupuncture plus standard treatment | Sham acupoints plus standard treatment | Neiguan (PC 6), Shuigou (DU 26), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Jiquan (HT 1), Weizhong(BL 40), Chize (LU 5) | Once a day, 4 weeks | NIHSS BI |
| Hsing | 62(35/27) | Scalp | Subcutaneous needles at the projection of the motor, | 30minutes, | NIHSS | |
| (2012)[18] | electrical acupuncture stimulation | Placebo electrical stimulation | sensory, frontal and temporal associative areas of penfield homunculus in the scalp | twice a week, 5 weeks | BI | |
| Shu | 120(60/60) | Acupuncture | Control group | Jianyu (LI 15), Quchi (LI 11), Shousanli (LI 10), | 20minutes, once | BI |
| (2011)[19] | group | Hegu (LI 4), Xuehai (SP 10), Liangqiu (ST 34), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) | a day, 10 treatment for one course, 3 courses | FMA | ||
| Cheng | 60(30/30) | Acupuncture | Conventional | Zhongzhu (TE 3), Waiguan (TE 5) | 30minutes, once | NIHSS |
| (2011)[20] | plus conventional treatment | treatment | a day, twenty treatment for one course, 2 courses | BI | ||
| Wu (2011)[21] | 80(40/40) | Acupuncture plus routine | Treatment | Hegu (LI 4), Shousanli(LI 10), Neiguan (PC 6), Waiguan (TE 5), Jianyu (LI 15), Quchi (LI 11); Futu | 30minutes, once every other day, | Clinical efficacy NIHSS |
| treatment | (ST 32), Zusanli (ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Taichong (LR 3), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Shenmai (BL 62), Zhaohai (KI 6) | 10 times constitute a treatment course, 2 courses | BI | |||
| Zhang (2011)[22] | 58(29/29) | Electro-needling plus routine treatment | Routine treatment | Jianyu (LI 15), Quchi (LI 11), Shousanli (LI 10), Hegu (LI 4), Biguana (ST 31), Futu (ST 32), Liangqiu (ST 34), Zusanli (ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40), Jiexi (ST 41) | 30minutes, once a day, 6 days for a week, 2 weeks | Fugl-Meyer scale |
| Lin (2009) [23] | 56(37/19) | Acupuncture plus western medicine treatment | Western medicine treatment | Shangjuxu (ST 37), Fenglong (ST 40), Zusanli (ST 36), Neiguan (PC 6), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Shuigou (DU 26) | 30minutes, once per day, 3 weeks | Clinical efficacy |
| Li (2009)[24] | 63(31/32) | Acupuncture and routine treatment | Routine treatment | Baihui (GV 20), Lianquan (CV 23) and affected-sided Fengchi (GB 20), Jianyu (LI 15), Quchi (LI 11), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taichong (LR 3) | 30minutes, once a day, 7 times constitute a course of treatment, 4 weeks | Clinical efficacy |
| Zhang (2009)[25] | 80(40/40) | Acupuncture plus rehabilitation treatment | Rehabilitation treatment | Jianyu (LI 5), Quchi (LI 11), Hegu (LI 4), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Yinglingquan (SP 9), Zusanli(ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) | 20minutes, once a day, 3 weeks | Clinical efficacy Fugl-Meyer scale |
| Zhang (2008)[26] | 90(45/45) | Acupuncture group and | Routine treatment | Scalp motor area (MS 6), sensory area (MS 7), speech area, Baihui(GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), | 20minutes, once a day, | Clinical efficacy NDS |
| routine treatment | Quchi (LI 11), Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36) and Taichong (LR 3) | 10-treatment made up one course, 2 courses | BI | |||
| Huang (2008)[27] | 80(40/40) | Back-shu point group and routine treatment | Non-point group and routine treatment | Feishu (BL 13), Xinshe (BL 15), Geshu (BL 17), Ganshu (BL 18), Danshu (BL 19), Pishu (BL 20), Wenshu (BL 21), Waiguan (SJ 5), Houxi (SI 3), Zusanli (ST 36), Xuanzhong (GB 39) | 30minutes, once a day, 6-treatment for one course, 4 courses | Clinical efficacy BI |
| Yang (2008)[28] | 96(50/46) | Acupuncture plus rehabilitation treatment | Rehabilitation treatment | Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Xuehai (SP 10) | 30minutes, once a day, 1-month treatment made up a course | Clinical efficacy |
| Guo (2007)[29] | 88(46/42) | Acupuncture plus routine treatment | Routine treatment | Baihui (GV 20) penetrating to Qubin (GB 7) on the affected side, Renzhong (GV 26), Lianquan (CV 23), Neiguan (PC 6), Quchi(LI 11), Hegu (LI 4), Xuehai (SP 10), Zusanli(ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taichong (LR 3) | 30minutes, once a day, 5 times a week, 3 weeks | Clinical efficacy |
| Feng (2007)[30] | 60(30/30) | Acupuncture plus routine treatment | Routine treatment | Bilateral Fengchi (GB 20), Wangu (GB 12) and Tianzhu (BL 10) | 30minutes, once a day, 15 days as a course of treatment, 2 course | Clinical efficacy |
| Rao (2006)[31] | 40(20/20) | Acupuncture plus routine treatment | Routine treatment | Neiguan (PC 6), Shuigou (DU 26), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) | Once a day, 5 days for a week, 4 weeks | BI |
| Schuler (2005)[32] | 81(41/40) | Acupuncture group | Placebo group(surface electrodes on acupuncture points with visual stimulation) | Needling of acupuncture points with electrical stimulation | 30minutes, twice weekly for 4 weeks | BI |
| Zhu (2005)[33] | 80(40/40) | Acupuncture plus routine treatment | Routine treatment | Baihui (GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), Jiquan (HT 1), Neiguan (PC 6), Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Taichong (LR 3), Taixi (KI 3), Fuliu (KI 7), Yinbai (SP 1) and Zuqiaoyin (GB 44) | 20minutes, once a day, 12 days | Clinical efficacy NDS |
| Xie | 64(32/32) | Electro-acupuncture | Placebo | Yuji (LU 10), Hegu (LI 4), Waiguan (SJ 5), | 10–20minutes, | NIHSS |
| (2004)[34] | needle | Shousanli (LI 10), Yanglinquan (GB 34), Zusanli | once a day, | FMA | ||
| treatment | treatment | (ST 36), Xuanzhong (GB 39), Taichong(LR 3) | 7–10days for one course, 2–3 courses | MBI | ||
| Liu (2001)[35] | 160(120/40) | Acupuncture plus routine treatment | Routine treatment | Baihui (GV 20), Dazhui (DU 14), Zusanli (ST 36), Shousanli (LI 10), Xuehai (SP 10), Quchi (LI 11) | 30minutes, once a day, 6 days for a week, 2 months | Clinical efficacy |
| Wu (2001) [36] | 100(50/50) | Scalp acupuncture treatment | Medication treatment | A needle was inserted into Baihui (GV 20) then advanced to Qianding (GV 21), another needle was penetrated from Shuaigu (GB 8) to Xuanli (GB 6) | Once a day, 14 days for one course, 2 courses | Clinical efficacy |
| Pei | 86(43/43) | Electro-acupuncture | Routine | Hegu (LI 4), Shousanli (LI 10), Quchi (LI 11), | 20minutes, once | CSS |
| (2001)[37] | plus | treatment | Jianyu (LI 15), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Fenglong (ST 40), | a day, 5 days for | BMF | |
| routine treatment | Zusanli (ST 36), Baihui(DU 20) and motor area of the scalp | a week, 4 weeks | BI |
FMA: Fugl-Meyer Assessment, BFM: Brunnstrom-Fugl-Meyer (BFM test for determining the level of motor impairment), BI: Barthel Index, FIM: Functional independence measure, MBI: Modified Barthel Index, NIHSS: NHI Stroke Scale, DNS: Neurological Deficits Score, CSS: Chinese Stroke Scale(CSS for assessing the degree of neurological deficit).