Hemodynamic Changes Following Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Patients with Subjective Tinnitus: An Acceleration Photoplethysmography and Pulsed-Wave Doppler Ultrasound Study.

Background/Objectives: Tinnitus has been linked to hemodynamic changes. Objective measures capable of monitoring hemodynamic changes during tinnitus treatment remain limited. This study investigated hemodynamic changes during combined acupuncture and moxibustion treatment in patients with subjective tinnitus using photoplethysmography (PPG) and pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasound (PW Doppler). Methods: A retrospective review of 10 patients with subjective tinnitus treated with acupuncture and moxibustion was conducted. Hemodynamic changes were assessed using acceleration photoplethysmogram (APG) indices and PW Doppler parameters. Results: The c/a ratio in APG increased significantly after acupuncture, indicating an acute change in arterial pulse wave characteristics.. Combined acupuncture and moxibustion significantly increased peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), and mean flow velocity (MV), while decreasing the resistive index (RI) in the superficial temporal artery. However, improvements in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) scores did not consistently align with changes in APG and PW Doppler parameters. Conclusions: These findings suggest that APG and PW Doppler may be useful for objectively assessing acute hemodynamic changes during acupuncture and moxibustion treatment in patients with subjective tinnitus.