Abstract:

〔Abstract〕 Objective： To measure the dangerous depth of acupuncture and evaluate the safe depth of acupuncture on the basis of analyzing the anatomical structure of Xinshu acupoints and the level of needle insertion using magnetic resonance imaging. To provide a basis for the acupuncture safety of Xinshu acupoints， and a reference for the clinical application of Xinshu acupoints. Methods： The horizontal cross-sectional images of Xinshu acupoints in 60 healthy adult volunteers were collected by magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The anatomical structure was analyzed. The dangerous depth of vertical puncture was measured， and the safe depth was evaluated by the dangerous depth. Results：The average dangerous depth values of left and right Xinshu acupoints were（3.52±0.58） cm and（3.42±0.63） cm respectively， and there was no significant difference in the dangerous depth values of left and right Xinshu acupoints. The dangerous depth value of males was significantly greater than that of females， and it was related to body shape. Conclusion： The safe depth of Xinshu acupoints is about 3.0 cm for people with normal body size and overweight， and about 2.2 cm for those with underweight. The conventional acupuncture depth of Xinshu acupoints is 0.5-0.8 cun （about 1.5-2.0 cm）， which has high safety. The safe depth should not be exceed in clinical operation to avoid accidents.

Key words:

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