Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28620502›Full record

ArticleJRSM open2017

Balanitis xerotica obliterans: has its diagnostic accuracy improved with time?

Khalis Boksh, Nitin Patwardhan

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JRSM open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 20% 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Topical corticosteroids for treating phimosis in boys.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024
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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

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Khalis BokshDepartment of Paediatric Surgery, University Hospitals Leicester, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK.
Nitin PatwardhanDepartment of Paediatric Surgery, University Hospitals Leicester, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK.
Leicester Royal Infirmary · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWe observed whether general practitioners are referring more appropriately for balanitis xerotica obliterans in regards to circumcision, especially at a time of clinical concern, and whether their discriminative abilities were affected by age. We also aimed to explore if balanitis xerotica obliterans was over-diagnosed by surgeons potentially leading to unnecessary circumcisions of healthy foreskins.

designCross-sectional descriptive study.

settingLeicester Royal Infirmary.

participantsAll children less than 16 years of age were included and were subsequently split into two categories: those less than or equal to five years and those above five years. Circumcision was justified if surgeon found pathology under foreskin commissioning guidelines set by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. After clinical diagnosis of balanitis xerotica obliterans, the pathological database was searched for histological confirmation.

main outcome measuresHas diagnostic accuracy improved amongst general practitioners for balanitis xerotica obliterans and is there a high clinical to histological confirmation.

resultsOf the total patients, 14.5% were diagnosed clinically with balanitis xerotica obliterans. Only 66.7% of cases were histologically confirmed with chronic inflammation found in the rest; 5.5% of all boys referred had balanitis xerotica obliterans on histology; and 8.2% of children <5 had clinical balanitis xerotica obliterans with 1.7% confirmed histologically. This was in contrast with 18.1% and 9.2% found in the older cohort.

conclusionThere remains a high diagnostic inaccuracy amongst general practitioners when referring for balanitis xerotica obliterans. This is greatest in those under five years. Although balanitis xerotica obliterans was over-diagnosed, no healthy foreskin underwent unnecessary circumcision.

Indexed as

general practicemedical educationpaediatricssurgery

Identifiers

PMID28620502
PMCPMC5464383
OpenAlexW2623419912

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.