Summary of findings for the main comparison. Intermittent self‐dilatation compared to no treatment for males after urethral stricture surgery.
| Intermittent self‐dilatation compared to no treatment for males after urethral stricture surgery | ||||||
| Population: males after urethral stricture surgery Intervention: intermittent self‐dilatation Comparison: no treatment | ||||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No of Participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| No treatment | Intermittent self‐dilatation | |||||
| Recurrent urethral stricture Follow‐up: 8‐24 months | 618 per 1000 | 433 per 1000 (297 to 618) | RR 0.7 (0.48 to 1) | 404 (6 studies) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low1,2,3 | |
| *The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: Confidence interval; RR: Risk ratio | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect. Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate. Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate. Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate. | ||||||
1 Downgraded by two for risk of bias: all six trials comprising the quantitative synthesis were judged high risk of bias in two or more domains. 2 Downgraded by two for inconsistency: the point estimates of the effect size vary widely; the statistical test for heterogeneity is highly significant (P = 0.003), and the I2 is large (72%). 3 Downgraded by two for imprecision: the total number of events was less than 300 and the 95% confidence interval of the effect size is 0.48 to 1.00 (> 50% and includes the line of no effect).