Zhu 2017.

Study characteristics
Methods	RCT
Participants	All 90 patients were from the Acupuncture and Rehabilitation Department of Zhongda Hospital affiliated to Southeast University, from October 2015 to September 2016, and the inpatients of the Department of Neurology of Nanjing Brain Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Sample size: 87 Inclusion criteria: patients with 'cerebral infarction' according to the 'Diagnostic Points for Various Cerebrovascular Diseases' adopted by the Fourth National Conference of Cerebral Vascular Diseases of the Chinese Medical Association, and confirmed by CT or MRI Exclusion criteria: 1) transient ischemic attack, lacunar infarction without hemiplegic sequelae; 2) relapses, multiple and large area cerebral infarction; 3) patients treated with thrombolytic therapy; 4) with Temporal Slope Syndrome (Pusher Synthesis), 5) patients with unilateral neglect; patients with muscular disorders bone and joint disease, or severe primary disease of the heart, lung, liver, kidney, hematopoietic system and endocrine system, as well as patients with psychosis and cancer; 6) patients with bilateral paralysis and complete paralysis Mean (SD) age: comprehensive group: 66 (SD 10) years; rehabilitation group: 63 (SD 9) years; electroacupuncture group: 67 (SD 11) years Stroke details: not reported by the study authors Stroke phase: not reported by the study authors
Interventions	Rehabilitation group: patients in the rehabilitation group were treated with regular care, medication and rehabilitation training for 20 minutes each time Electroacupuncture group; patients in the electroacupuncture group were treated mainly with electroacupuncture. An electroacupuncture device was connected for 30 minutes after rehabilitation training Comprehensive group: patients in the comprehensive group were treated with electroacupuncture as the electroacupuncture group and MI therapy. MI therapy was performed 30 minutes after electroacupuncture treatment and lasted 20 minutes Patients in all 3 groups received routine care and medication for cerebral infarction as well as regular rehabilitation (rehabilitation training, 20 minutes each time) The treatment was given once a day, 5 treatments per week, and in total 4‐week treatment was performed
Outcomes	Outcomes recorded before and after treatment Dependence on personal assistance: Barthel index
Notes
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Quote: “Ninety patients with hemiplegic cerebral infarction were randomly divided into a rehabilitation group, an EA group and a comprehensive group, 30 patients in each one"
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	High risk	Allocation concealment was not reported
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	Blinding of participants and personnel was not reported
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	High risk	Blinding of outcome assessment was not reported
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Quote: “Three cases did not finish the trial and finally 87 cases were included into analysis, including 30 cases in the rehabilitation group, 29 cases in the EA group and 28 cases in the comprehensive group"
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	The statistical difference was presented for all outcomes
Other bias	Low risk	None detected

CT: computed tomography; EMG NMES: electromyogram‐triggered neuromuscular electrical stimulation; MI: motor imagery; MIT‐EMG NMES: motor imagery training and electromyogram‐triggered neuromuscular electrical stimulation; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; RCT: randomized controlled trial; SD: standard deviation.