Table 2.
The pooled outcome for VAS pain score
| Outcome | VAS (short-term follow-up) | VAS (mediate-term follow-up) | VAS (long-term follow-up) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | WMD (95% CI) | Heterogeneity | n | WMD (95% CI) | Heterogeneity | n | WMD (95% CI) | Heterogeneity | |
| All studies | 5 | 0.37 (−0.27 to 1.01) | p = 0.00 | 5 | 0.05 (−0.30 to 0.40) | p = 0.05 | 7 | 0.99 (−0.01 to 1.98) | p = 0.00 |
| RCT only | 1 | -0.30 (−0.52 to −0.08) | NA | 1 | 0.00 (−0.24 to 0.24) | NA | 0 | NA | NA |
| CCT only | 2 | 0.05 (−1.39 to 1.48) | p = 0.00 | 1 | −1.40 (−3.07 to 0.27) | NA | 3 | −0.03 (−0.92 to 0.87) | p = 0.17 |
| Cohort only | 2 | 0.82 (−0.14 to 1.78) | p = 0.00 | 3 | 0.23 (−0.35 to 0.82) | p = 0.04 | 4 | 1.39 (0.10 to 2.67) | p = 0.00 |
WMD weighted mean difference, CI confidence interval, NA not applicable
short-term follow-up: no more than 7 days; mediate-term follow-up: close to 6 months; long-term follow-up: close to 1 year