Table 4.
Pairwise and network meta-analysis of sperm DNA fragmentation using different preparation techniques.
| Outcome | Comparisons | Pairwise meta-analysis | Network meta-analysis SMD (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of studies | SMD (95% CI) | |||
| Sperm DNA fragmentation | DGC as a reference | |||
| PSU | 21 | ─0.97 (─1.83, ─0.12) | ─0.81 (─1.28, ─0.34) | |
| DSU | 5 | ─1.37 (─2.63, ─0.12) | ─1.38 (─2.20, ─0.55) | |
| DGC-PSU | 6 | ─0.94 (─1.68, ─0.21) | ─1.27 (─2.09, ─0.45) | |
| DGC-MACS | 10 | ─0.61 (─0.98, ─0.23) | ─0.92 (─1.60, ─0.25) | |
| MFSS | 5 | ─3.53 (─9.72, 2.65) | ─2.64 (─3.53, ─1.75) | |
| MACS | *NA | *NA | ─0.59 (─1.51, 0.33) | |
| MACS-DGC | *NA | *NA | ─1.53 (─2.93, ─0.12) | |
| MACS-DSU | *NA | *NA | ─1.20 (─3.63, 1.22) | |
| PSU-MACS | *NA | *NA | ─1.01 (─2.90,0.87) | |
| PSU as a reference | ||||
| DSU | 3 | ─0.25 (─4.17,3.67) | 0.51 (─5.26, 6.28) | |
| DGC-PSU | 3 | ─0.59 (─2.84, 1.67) | 1.02 (─4.57, 6.62) | |
| MFSS | 4 | ─12.66 (─50.21, 24.90) | ─2.06 (─3.26, ─0.86) | |
| DSU as a reference | ||||
| MFSS | 2 | *NA | ─1.27 (─2.32, ─0.21) | |
*NA indicates comparisons for which direct evidence was unavailable or not performed. DGC, density gradient centrifugation; PSU, Pellet Swim-Up; DSU, Direct Swim-Up; DGC-PSU, Swim-Up after DGC (treated as PSU in analysis); MACS, magnetic-activated cell sorting; MACS-DGC, DGC-MACS, PSU-MACS, MACS-WSU, sequential combination methods; MFSS, Microfluidic sperm sorting; MD, mean difference; CI, confidential interval.