OBJECTIVE:To determine whether patients with post-stroke hemiplegia could benefit from long-term treatment with scalp cluster (SC) acupuncture combined with electrical stimulation (ES)and to evaluate the feasibility of this treatment to improve motor and living abilities.METHODS:Twenty patients were enrolled and divided into two groups:SC acupuncture and SC acupuncture with ES (SC and SC + ES,respectively).All participants also received rehabilitation training.All participants were blindly evaluated using the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale for motor ability,the modified Barthel Index for living ability,and a scale for the degree of neurological deficits.Outcome was assessed at three points before randomized grouping,at the beginning or treatment,and after 4 weeks of treatment.RESULTS:Following 4 weeks treatment,all the patients exhibited significant improvements in aspects of motor ability,living ability,and the severity of neurological deficits.The experimental group (SC + ES) scored higher on the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale (68 ± 12) and the modified Barthel Index (49 ± 9) than the control (SC) group (50 ± 13,36 ± 13,respectively).CONCLUSION:When patients with post-stroke hemiplegia are treated using SC acupuncture with ES,motor and living ability can improve more than if they were treated with SC acupuncture alone.