Table 4.
Mean differences in ulcer healing between groups of included studies
| Primary author | Difference between groups | Control | p value | Effect size (Cohen’s d ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESWT | ||||
| Moretti [26] | Wound closure: 53.33% | 33.33% | < 0.001 | UD |
| healing time: 60.8 days (SD 4.7 days) | 82.2 days (SD 4.7 days) | <0.001 | 4.43, Huge effect | |
| Saggini [27] | UD | UD | UD | UD |
| Wang [28] | 31% completely healed | 22% completely healed | <0.001 | UD |
| 58% improved | 50% improved | <0.001 | UD | |
| 11% remained unchanged. | 28% remained unchanged | <0.001 | UD | |
| ≥50% improved in 89% of participants | ≥50% improved in 72% of participants | <0.001 | UD | |
| Wang [29] | Completely healed 57% | Completely healed 25% | =0.003 | UD |
| ≥50% improved in 32% of participants | ≥50% improved in 15% of participants | =0.071 | UD | |
| unchanged ulcers in 11% | unchanged ulcers in 60% | <0.001 | UD | |
| Schaden [17] | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Notes:
UD: unable to determine; NA: not applicable.
ESWT = extracorporeal shock wave therapy.
SD = standard deviation.
Cohen’s d: negligible effect (≥ − 0.15 and <0.15), small effect (≥0.15 and <0.40), medium effect (≥0.40 and <0.75), large effect (≥0.75 and <1.10), very large effect (≥1.10 and <1.45), huge effect (≥1.45).