ABSTRACT Background Post‐stroke gastroparesis (GP) is a debilitating complication that severely impairs quality of life. Although abdominal acupuncture is widely used, robust evidence regarding its efficacy, particularly concerning the critical parameter of the needling depth, is still lacking. This study aims to investigate the depth‐specific effects of the “ Hewei Tongjiang ” acupuncture method by comparing deep versus superficial needling for post‐stroke GP. Methods/Design This is a randomized controlled clinical trial. A total of 90 patients with post‐stroke gastroparesis will be randomly allocated (1:1:1) to the “ Hewei Tongjiang ” acupuncture (HA) group, the superficial acupuncture (SA) group, or a waiting‐list (WL) group. Patients in the two acupuncture groups will be treated with acupuncture 12 times within 2 weeks. The primary outcome is the change in the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) total score from baseline to before the 12th treatment session. GCSI will also be assessed before the sixth session as a secondary longitudinal outcome. The secondary outcomes include gastric residue volumes (GRV), electrogastrogram (EGG) parameters, stroke severity (NIHSS), dyspepsia symptoms (LDQ, NDI), nutritional risk (NRS 2002), psychological status (SAS, SDS), and plasma gastrointestinal hormones (GAS, MTL, VIP). Adverse events will be monitored and recorded during the trial. Discussion This exploratory trial aims to provide high‐quality preliminary evidence on the differential effects of the needling depth, which will help to inform the optimal needling depth selection within the “ Hewei Tongjiang ” acupuncture for post‐stroke GP. The findings will be disseminated in peer‐reviewed journals to inform future definitive trials and clinical practice. Trial Registration International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry: ITMCTR2024000658. Registered on September 21, 2024
Wei et al. (2026) studied this question.