Table 4.
Volume reduction and between-group difference of randomized controlled trials.
| Sample sizea |
Mean volume reduction (ml)b |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kc | N | Intervention (95% CI) | Control (95% CI) | Differenced (95% CI) | |
| Overall effect (all interventions vs. all comparisons) | 38 | 1800 | −119.7 (−135.0 to −104.5) | −88.0 (−99.0 to −77.1) | −6.1 (−11.9 to −0.4) |
| Overall effect (w. Sensitivity analysis)e | 35 | 1689 | −80.2 (−94.4 to −66.1) | −69.5 (−79.8 to −59.2) | −4.5 (−9.2 to +0.2) |
| Overall effect vs. active control | 29 | 1432 | −199.8 (−229.1 to −170.5) | −143.7 (−162.9 to −124.5) | −10.5 (−20.5 to −0.57) |
| Overall effect vs. non-active control | 9 | 368 | +7.2 (−14.0 to 28.4) | −13.4 (−36.3 to +9.4) | −3.8 (−9.2 to +1.7) |
| Exercise vs. all comparisons | 11 | 514 | −48.1 (−78.2 to −18.1) | −36.7 (−61.9 to 11.5) | −7.2 (−18.1 to +3.7) |
| Kinesio taping vs. all comparisons | 4 | 146 | −448.5 (−843.6 to −53.5) | −1525.2 (−2415.2 to −635.2) | +453.4 (−113.8 to +1020.5) |
| Laser vs. all comparisons | 4 | 179 | +22.9 (+8.9 to +37.0) | +17.8 (+8.2 to +27.4) | +5.4 (+1.5 to +9.2) |
| CDP vs. all comparisons | 12 | 640 | −232.5 (−278.1 to −186.8) | −184.6 (−219.3 to −149.9) | −19.6 (−41.7 to +2.6) |
| MLDf + compression vs. compression | 6 | 336 | −228.4 (−288.7 to −168.1) | −241.7 (−318.5 to −165.0) | +5.7 (−70.9 to +82.3) |
| MLD + compression + pump vs. MLD + compression | 3 | 78 | −30.4 (−51.5 to −9.2) | −23.9 (−55.5 to +7.6) | −4.6 (−16.2 to +7.1) |
K indicates number of published studies in the analysis; N indicates total number of participants in the study.
Negative values indicate volume reduction, positive values indicate volume increase.
K may vary between mean volume reductions for the intervention (max K = 34), control (max K = 34), and difference (max K = 38), due to missing data.
Negative values indicate volume difference in favor of intervention; positive values indicate volume difference in favor of control.
Sensitivity analysis (Hedges’ g): Omitting three studies (Kim 2010, Smykla et al. 2013, and Sitzia et al., 2002) with volume reductions 2 standard deviations away from the pooled effect size (±841.6 or ±1787.6).
MLD = manual lymphatic drainage.