Acupuncture is associated with reduced cholecystectomy rate and preservation of hepatobiliary and renal function in biliary disorders: A propensity score-matched real-world cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between acupuncture and 5-year cholecystectomy rate, alongside hepatorenal function preservation, in a large-scale real-world cohort of patients with biliary disorders. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the TriNetX US Collaborative Network. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 7930 patients who had received manual acupuncture were compared with 7930 matched controls. The primary outcome was 5-year cumulative cholecystectomy rate, assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis and risk ratio. RESULTS: After matching, all baseline covariates achieved a standardized mean difference below 0.1. The acupuncture group demonstrated significantly lower 5-year cumulative cholecystectomy rate (7.585% vs 13.454%; risk ratio: 0.564, 95% confidence interval: 0.511-0.622; hazard ratio: 0.525, 95% confidence interval: 0.473-0.582; p < 0.0001). Acupuncture was also associated with significantly lower risk across all seven secondary outcomes, including markers of systemic inflammation, cholestasis, and hepatorenal impairment (all p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In this large-scale propensity score-matched cohort, manual acupuncture was significantly associated with reduced 5-year cholecystectomy rate and preservation of hepatobiliary and renal function in patients with biliary disorders.