Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30572514›Full record

SynthesisMedicine2018

A comparative study of ultrasonic scalpel (US) versus conventional metal clips for closure of the cystic duct in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC): A meta-analysis.

Xiao-Ming Ai, Li-Chen Ho, Nian-Yin Yang, Lu-Lu Han, Jin-Jing Lu, Xiong Yue

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative StudyMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 25% 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

11 citing papers in PubMed, 16 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

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Xiao-Ming Ai
Li-Chen Ho
Nian-Yin Yang
Lu-Lu Han
Jin-Jing Lu
Xiong Yue
Nanjing Medical University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundlaparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has become the gold standard surgery for benign gallbladder diseases. Metal clips are conventionally used to secure the cystic duct and artery, while monopolar electrocautery (ME) predominates during laparoscopic dissection. ultrasonic scalpel (US) has already been explored for sealing the cystic duct and artery as a sole instrument, which has been regarded as a reasonable alternative to clips. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and effectiveness of US versus clips for securing the cystic duct during LC.

methodsWe identified eligible studies in PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, and SpringerLink up to 1st May 2018, together with the reference lists of original studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 14.0. Q-based chi-square test and the I statistics were utilized to assess heterogeneity among the included studies. A P-value below .05 was set for statistical significance. Forest plots of combined Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were also generated.

resultsEight studies met eligibility criteria in this meta-analysis eventually. A total of 1131 patients were included, of whom 529 were contained in the US group, compared to 602 in the clips group, which showed a significant difference (P = .025) without substantial statistical heterogeneity (I = 0.0%). No statistical significance was revealed regarding age (I = 0.0%, P = .957), and sex (I = 0.0%, P = .578) between both groups. The operative time and hospital stay in the US group were significantly shorter than that in the clips group, with I = 95.0%, P = .000 and I = 72.8%, P = .005, respectively. Concerning conversion (I = 48.6%, P = .084), perforation (I = 12.0%, P = .338), along with bile leakage (I = 0.0% P = .594), and overall morbidity (I = 19.1%, P = .289), comparison between both groups exhibited no statistical significance.

conclusionsUS enabled shorter operative time and hospital stay during LC, compared with clips. Additionally, US was comparable to clips regarding conversion, perforation, along with bile leakage and overall morbidity. Therefore, our meta-analysis concluded that US is clinically superior to the conventional clips in some aspects, or is at least as safe and effective as them, concerning closure of the cystic duct and artery.

Indexed as

Surgical InstrumentsCholecystectomy, LaparoscopicCystic DuctGallbladder DiseasesHumansMetalsUltrasonicsMetals

Identifiers

PMID30572514
PMCPMC6320032
OpenAlexW2905993986

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.