Sotelo 1990.
| Methods | Randomized controlled trial Duration: dates not stated. Participants followed up for 3 months |
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| Participants | Number: 114 enrolled (67 male, 47 female) Inclusion criteria: adults and children aged 7 to 72 years with parenchymal brain cysts without CT evidence of surrounding inflammation Exclusion criteria: any parenchymal cysticerci surrounded by oedema or showing enhancement after contrast medium administration Type of lesion: viable |
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| Interventions | Group 1. Praziquantel: 50 mg per kg bodyweight for 15 days Group 2. Praziquantel: 50 mg per kg bodyweight for 8 days Group 3. Albendazole: 15 mg per kg bodyweight for 30 days Group 4. Albendazole: 15 mg per kg bodyweight for 8 days | |
| Outcomes | Included in the review: mean number of cysts before and 3 months after treatment; persistence of lesions after 3 months; over 50% lesions disappeared after 3 months; no resolution after 3 months; adverse events associated with treatment, adverse events severe enough to need steroids; persistence of symptoms after 3 months; improvement in signs and symptoms after 3 months | |
| Notes | Location: Mexico Source of funding: supported by the Secretaria de Salud de Mexico |
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| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Adequate sequence generation? | Unclear risk | Quote: "...patients were randomly allocated to one of four treatment groups" Decision: unclear, probably done |
| Allocation concealment? | Unclear risk | Not described Decision: unclear |
| Blinding? All outcomes | Unclear risk | Quote: "Evaluation of all CT studies was done at the end of the trial by two groups of clinicians and radiologists who were not aware of the treatment group to which the patients had been allocated" Blinding not described for participants, and placebos not used Decision: unclear, partially done for radiological outcomes |
| Incomplete outcome data addressed? All outcomes | Low risk | 114 participants were enrolled and randomized, follow‐up data were available for all 114 (100%) |
| Free of selective reporting? | Low risk | No evidence of selective reporting |
| Free of other bias? | Low risk | No evidence of other bias |