To explore the indications of Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture through bibliometric methods and evidence-based medicine research methods.

Clinical literature related to Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture included in CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, The Cochrane Library, PubMed and EMbase database was serched until December 31st, 2022. According to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Issues (ICD11) of the World Health Organization and the diagnostic efficacy standards for traditional Chinese medicine established by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1994, diseases in the literature that met the inclusion criteria were categorized and the frequency of literature for each disease was counted.

570 articles were ultimately included, involving 9 systems and a total of 54 diseases. The six most frequent diseases were cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, vascular dementia, coma after head injury, delayed encephalopathy caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, and depression.

The Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture has a wide range of indications and relatively concentrated indications, mainly including neurological diseases such as cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage. Among them, there are 34 diseases supported by high-level evidence, including stroke (not specifically referred to as cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction), cerebral infarction, vascular dementia, and cerebral hemorrhage.