Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28580494›Full record

SynthesisLasers in medical science2017

Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in carpal tunnel syndrome management: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Amira Hassan Bekhet, Basma Ragab, Abdelrahman Ibrahim Abushouk, Ahmed Elgebaly, Olfat Ibrahim Ali

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Lasers in medical science, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04949373 (Evaluation of the Efficacy of High Intensity Laser), which is not on this map. Cited by 20 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04949373 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Evaluation of the Efficacy of High Intensity Laser (HILT) Therapy in Idiopathic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

TypeinterventionalSponsorAfyonkarahisar Health Sciences UniversityRan2021 to 2022Enrolled60ConditionsCarpal Tunnel Syndrome, Entrapment Neuropathy, Median Neuropathy, Musculoskeletal DiseasesArmsHigh-intensity laser therapy (HILT), Sham High-intensity laser therapy (sham HILT)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

20 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Amira Hassan BekhetFaculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt. 1300096@st.pt.cu.edu.eg.
Basma RagabFaculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt.
Abdelrahman Ibrahim AbushoukMedical Research Group of Egypt, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed ElgebalyMedical Research Group of Egypt, Cairo, Egypt.
Olfat Ibrahim AliFaculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt.
Cairo University · EGAin Shams University · EGScientific Research Group in Egypt · EG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We performed this meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy of low-level laser therapy (LLLT), a physiotherapy modality with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, in the management of mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We searched PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Cochrane Central, and Virtual Health Library for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the effects of LLLT with or without splinting versus placebo on functional and electromyographic outcomes in CTS. All outcomes were pooled as mean differences (MD) under the inverse variance or random effects model, using the statistical add-in (MetaXL, version 5.0). Eight RCTs (473 patients/631 wrists) were eligible for the final analysis. The overall effect estimates did not favor LLLT therapy group over placebo in all primary outcomes: visual analogue scale (MD -1.11, 95% CI [-2.58, 0.35]), symptom severity scale score (MD -1.41, 95% CI [-5.12, 2.29]), and functional status scale score (MD -1.33, 95% CI [-3.27, 0.61]). However, LLLT was superior to placebo in terms of grip strength (MD 2.19, 95% CI [1.63, 2.76]) and inferior to placebo in terms of sensory nerve action potential (MD -2.74, 95% CI [-3.66, -1.82]). Laser therapy is superior to placebo in terms of improving the grip strength; however, no significant difference was found between both groups in terms of functional status improvement, pain reduction, or motor electrodiagnostic evaluations. Further high-quality trials with longer follow-up periods are required to establish the efficacy of LLLT for CTS treatment.

Indexed as

Low-Level Light TherapyCarpal Tunnel SyndromeElectrophysiological PhenomenaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPublication BiasSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeCarpal tunnel syndromeEntrapment mononeuropathyLaser therapyMeta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID28580494
OpenAlexW2620690385

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.