Dr. Carlo Maria Giovanardi
President of Acupuncture Doctors Association of Bologna (A.M.A.B.) - Italy
Italian-Chinese School of Acupuncture - Italy
(Directors: Dr. Carlo Maria Giovanardi and Dr. Carlo Di Stanislao)

Dr. Enrico Lonardo
Nuclear Medicine Bologna - Italy

Prof. Achille Abbati
Director of Nuclear Medicine Department
Maggiore Hospital Bologna - Italy

In the latest years several works have been published about the use of radioactive tracers in order to demonstrate the existence of the acupuncture meridians.
The results obtained have always been different.
This study was started in 1988; it refers to the analysis of the migration of tracer after the administration of Tc-99-m-Pertechnetate into an acupuncture point and into another point outside the meridian but near it.

Methods and Materials

After having placed two markers in the prossimale and distale extremity of the patient's left radius, the examined extremity was carefully positioned. A gamma camera (selo 73 Foto-tubi collimator at high resolution; window from 120 to 160 kew), connected to Apex 009 computer, was employed.
37 Mbq.Tc-99-m-Pertechnetate in precisely measured 0.10 ml. was first given subcutaneously into a point outside the meridian in the extremity of the elbow fold, at a distance of 1.5 cm. from the acupuncture point L.I.11 (QUCHI). The absence of blood reflux from vessels was carefully checked by means of aspiration.
A second injection was given into L.I.4 (HEGU) acupuncture point located in the hand. The needle used had a diameter of 4mm. and 0.4mm.
Every two seconds detections of tracer in sequences were carried out and successively images at "stading stade" appeared; these images were reproduced using a Polaroid camera.
Six healthy cases underwent this study.

Results

Five out of six cases, the Tc-99-m-Pertechnetate injection into the point outer acupuncture meridian produced a "stain"-shaped stagnation radioactivity persisting some minutes:

On the contrary the second injection into the acupuncture point located in the hand, had the following results: in all cases, after a few seconds, a regular line-shaped radioactivity appeared, joining the two markers and migrating towards the shoulder, following the meridian path, in the extreme edge of camerate field of view.
The following times were surveyed at the elbow:

• Case no.1 = 15 seconds

• Case no.2 = 30 seconds

• Case no.3 = 5 seconds

• Case no.4 = 3 minutes

• Case no.5 = 16 seconds

• Case no.6 = 10 seconds

 Conclusions

 By means of this study we do not want to demonstrate the existence or not of the acupuncture meridians; our aim is to underline the importance of the following data:

1. The different results obtained after the Tc-99-m-Pertechnetate injection given into the two points: a persisting stagnation of radioisotope into the point outside the meridian (some minutes), a rapid migration of radioisotope from the acupuncture point following the path of a traditional acupuncture meridian.
   These results could be explained taking into consideration the dìfferent lympho-venous vascular system of the two points analysed; but two elements seem to exclude this possible explanation: the certain absence of blood reflux during the aspiration when the injection was given and the results of other studies, in particular the work by Dr. Jiahe Tian, Director of Nuclear Medicine Department of Military Post-Graduate Medical School of Beijing. He employed Tc-99m-Antimony Colloid instead of Pertechnetate, excluding in this way a possible role of lymphatic system.

2. On case no.6., Tc-99m tracer migrated at 10th second from the point outer meridian towards the shoulder. It is difficult to make hypotheses: could it be technical mistake, subjective dimension of the point or something else?

 We may end by saying that we believe the use of radioisotope an objective, physiologic, in-vivo means which has the aim to demonstrate the existence of the Acupuncture Meridian System already codified by Traditional Chinese Medicine several centuries ago.