TABLE 1.
Prior Systematic Reviews or Meta-analyses Actually Cited Compared With the Maximum Number That Could Possibly Have Been Cited, in Addition to the Authors’ Rationale for Repeating the Systematic Reviewa
| First Author | Date of Publication (mo/d/y) | Date of Last Literature Search (mo/d/y) | No. of Systematic Reviews or Meta-analyses on RCTs | Rationale for Repeating Meta-analysis on RCTsb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Possible to Cite | Actually Cited | ||||
| Lo10 | –/–/1997 | –/–/1997 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| Bhandari2 | 7/–/2002 | 8/–/2001 | 1 | 1 | “Previous reviews did not focus solely on randomized trials comparing conservative versus surgical therapy on rerupture rates. A previous metaanalysis combined results from observational studies and randomized trials…however, observational studies are more open to bias than randomized trials, and yield different results.” |
| Khan (2005)9 | 10/–/2005 | — | 2 | 2 | “Previous reviews have examined the relative advantages of operative and nonoperative treatment. However, to our knowledge, there has not been a systematic review of different methods of nonoperative treatment, operative treatment, and postoperative splinting.” |
| Khan (2010)8 | 9/–/2010 | 7/20/2009 | 3 | 3 | “There is a lack of consensus on the best management of the acute Achilles tendon rupture.… This review presents an update of the evidence for surgical intervention formerly presented in a Cochrane review that covered all interventions for these injuries.” |
| Zhao21 | –/–/2011 | 7/–/2011 | 4 | 3 | “A previous meta-analysis by Bhandari et al comparing complications of operative with nonoperative treatment of AATR did not provide a strong recommendation for surgery. Their meta-analysis included six studies, three of which were omitted from the present meta-analysis because of inadequate reporting of results or randomization.… In order to provide strong evidence, we used a strict methodological evaluation to include or exclude a relative study. To date, no high level meta-analysis compared these two methods directly.” |
| Jiang6 | 12/9/2011 | 9/1/2011 | 4 | 3 | “… However, these meta-analyses were based on a small sample size and insufficient analyses. The need remains for strong evidence based on the latest high-quality RCTs to test the [previous 3 meta-analyses] conclusions.” |
| Wilkins20 | 7/16/2012 | — | 5 | 3 | “… Additionally, previous meta-analyses have either included lower levels of evidence or have not included 2 of the largest and most recently published randomized controlled trials.” |
| Soroceanu17 | 12/5/2012 | 12/–/2011 | 6 | 2 | “… Since the latest of the two previously published meta-analyses, several additional randomized controlled clinical trials have sought to clarify the best treatment for acute Achilles tendon rupture. These trials, particularly those using functional bracing, have challenged the conclusions of the previous meta-analyses. Because of the conflicting results in the current body of literature, a reexamination of the evidence is needed to take into consideration the new trials … Our study includes foreign-language papers, contains a substantial number of new randomized trials that have been published since 2004, and includes a subgroup analysis of the rerupture rate.” |
| van der Eng18 | –/–/2013 | 12/31/2012 | 8 | 5 | “Previous reviews and trials that compared surgical and nonsurgical treatment did not specifically focus on the rehabilitation protocol. Therefore, the goal of the present meta-analysis was to compare the rerupture rate after surgical repair of the Achilles tendon followed by early weightbearing versus conservative treatment with early weightbearing. An additional analysis was performed of surgical versus conservative management with weightbearing after 4 weeks.” |
aAATR, acute Achilles tendon rupture; N/A, not available; RCT, randomized controlled trial; VAS, visual analog scale.
bAs abstracted from manuscript.