Can light therapy unblock the gut without surgery?
NCT ID NCT04318821
First seen Aug 17, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial investigates whether laser acupuncture, a non-invasive therapy that uses low-intensity light on traditional acupoints, can help people with adhesive small bowel obstruction—a common complication after abdominal surgery where scar tissue blocks the intestine. The study enrolls adults aged 20 to 80 with symptoms of mechanical obstruction, and compares laser acupuncture against a placebo in a double-blind, randomized design. The goal is to see if this therapy can improve the success rate of conservative treatment, reducing the need for nasogastric tube decompression or surgery, and shorten hospital stays.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Laser acupuncture, a non-invasive therapy using low-intensity laser light on traditional acupoints
- What this could lead to
- If effective, laser acupuncture could offer a non-invasive way to help people with adhesive small bowel obstruction recover without surgery, reducing hospital stays and the need for invasive procedures.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial, so results may not apply broadly. The therapy may not improve outcomes, and individual responses can vary.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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30 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2020
- Finished
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Feb 2023
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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20 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 20 to 80 years * Clinical symptoms and signs of mechanical obstruction Exclusion Criteria: * Clear non-adhesive etiology of small bowel obstruction (e.g. tumor, hernia) * Emergency surgical intervention before being admitted to the hospital * Pregnancy * Local skin infection on the acupoints, and limb amputees.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Kaohsiung City, 833, Taiwan
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