1.The Second Department of Spine, Wangjing Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100102, China;
2.Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China;
3.Office of Academic Research, Wangjing Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100102, China;
4.Eye Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100040, China;
5.China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Abstract:Objective To analyze the application rules of traditional Chinese medicine in treating cervical radiculopathy (CR) in clinical practice. Methods The information sharing system of traditional Chinese medical treatment and clinical scientific research was used to collect CR patient information of inpatient and outpatient treatment in Wangjing Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from December 2012 to July 2014. A total of 274 cases of CR patients taking traditional Chinese medicine were studied. The PLSQL and excel were used for standardized classification and statistical analysis, and Liquorice software was used to calculate the correlation frequency and mutual information value of compatibility rules of traditional Chinese medicine, and to draw a complex network diagram. Results A total of 430 prescriptions were collected. According to the frequency analysis of drug use, Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Rhizoma Corydalis, Ramulus Cinnamomi, Radix Clematidis, Radix Astragali seu Hedysari and other traditional Chinese medicine were most used. According to the analysis of aspects of drug nature, drug taste and channel tropism, warm drugs were most commonly used (48.65%), bitter taste drugs(49.24%) and sweet taste drugs (46.63%) were more relatively used, and liver channel drugs were most commonly used (51.80%). The compatibility analysis of traditional Chinese medicine showed that Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong had a relatively high correlation with Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Radix Angelicae Sinensis and Rhizoma Corydalis, with mutual information values of 22.31, 16.52, 18.55 and 21.88 respectively. The results of complex network diagram showed that the classical prescription Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction or Guizhi plus Gegen Decoction might be the basic prescription for treating CR. Conclusion According to the analysis of clinical practice, for the CR, the use of traditional Chinese medicine takes promoting blood circulation for removing blood stasis as the principle of treatment, combined with traditional Chinese medicine, which has the effects of benefiting vital energy and nourishing blood, dispelling wind, eliminating dampness, dispelling cold, and so on. The treatment can be modified according to syndrome based on Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction or Guizhi plus Gegen Decoction.