Table 2. Effect estimates of included 22 trials.
| Outcome and comparison | Study | Participant | Effect estimate (95% CI) REM | p-value | Study ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic acupuncture versus sham acupuncture with electrical stimulation | |||||
| Satisfaction of self-assessment rate | 1 | 60 | RR 1.50 (0.71–3.16) | - | Aydin et al (1997) [18] |
| Manual acupuncture versus sham acupuncture | |||||
| Satisfaction of self-assessment rate | 1 | 60 | RR 7.53 (1.13–50.00) | - | Engelhardt et al (2003) [13] |
| Acupuncture plus tadalafil tablet versus tadalafil tablet | |||||
| Cure rate | 2 | 152 | RR 1.31 (1.00–1.71), I2=0% | 0.48 | Liu et al (2016) [24], Li et al (2018) [15] |
| IIEF-5 score | 2 | 152 | MD 5.38 (4.46–6.29), I2=0% | 0.04 | Liu et al (2016) [24], Li et al (2018) [15] |
| Acupuncture plus sildenafil tablet versus sildenafil tablet | |||||
| Cure rate | 1 | 70 | RR 3.00 (0.65–13.86) | - | Yu et al (2018) [30] |
| IIEF-5 score | 1 | 70 | MD 3.23 (2.12–4.34) | - | Yu et al (2018) [30] |
| Manual acupuncture plus moxibustion versus tadalafil tablet | |||||
| Cure rate | 2 | 102 | RR 1.40 (0.74–2.66), I2=0% | 0.3 | Liu (2017) [25], Jia (2018) [29] |
| IIEF-5 score | 1 | 40 | MD 1.15 (1.37–0.93) | - | Jia (2018) [29] |
| Acupuncture versus herb medicine | |||||
| Markedly improved on erectile function rate | 2 | 148 | RR 1.40 (0.42–4.69), I2=46%, | 0.18 | Ding et al (2012) [33], Duan (2007) [17] |
| IIEF-5 score | 1 | 100 | MD 4.00 (3.66–4.34) | - | Cui et al (2007) [16] |
| Acupuncture point injection of herbal extracts versus oral herbal medicine | |||||
| IIEF-5 score | 1 | 100 | MD 4.0 (3.66–4.34) | - | Cui et al (2007) [16] |
| Markedly improved on erectile function rate | 1 | 100 | RR 1.94 (0.69–5.43) | - | Cui et al (2007) [16] |
| Acupuncture plus herbal medicine versus herbal medicine alone | |||||
| Cure rate | 2 | 168 | RR 1.36 (1.12–1.65), I2=0% | 0.77 | Jiang et al (2014) [21], Ye and Chen (2017) [28] |
| Markedly improved on erectile function rate | 7 | 601 | RR 1.68 (1.31–2.15), I2=0% | 0.90 | Cao et al (2007) [31], Cheng and Cao (2009) [32], Dai et al (2003) [20], Ding et al (2012) [33], Lin et al (2005) [23], Shan (2001) [26], Xie (2016) [27] |
| Satisfaction of self-assessment rate | 2 | 163 | RR 1.67 (0.64–4.36), I2=75% | 0.3 | Chen et al (2011) [19], Yang and Tian (2008) [34] |
| IIEF-5 score | 3 | 331 | No pooled data of trials for I2=95% | <0.05 | Chen et al (2011) [19], Jiang et al (2014) [21], Xie (2016) [27] |
| Erectile angle | 2 | 228 | MD 6.73° (4.10–9.36), I2=0% | 0.94 | Ding et al (2012) [33], Lin et al (2005) [23] |
| Manual acupuncture plus physical therapy versus physical therapy | |||||
| Cure rate | 1 | 102 | RR 1.56 (0.99–2.43) | - | Jiang et al (2012) [22] |
| IIEF-5 score | 1 | 60 | MD 2.90 (2.59–3.21) | - | Liu and Ren (2015) [14] |
CI: confidence interval, REM: random effect model, IIEF: International Index of Erectile Function, RR: risk ratio, MD: mean difference.