Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30629908›Full record

SynthesisAmerican journal of obstetrics and gynecology2019

Two-dose versus single-dose methotrexate for treatment of ectopic pregnancy: a meta-analysis.

Snigdha Alur-Gupta, Laura G Cooney, Suneeta Senapati, Mary D Sammel, Kurt T Barnhart

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

26 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Snigdha Alur-GuptaDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Electronic address: Snigdha.alur-gupta@uphs.upenn.edu.
Laura G CooneyDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Suneeta SenapatiDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Mary D SammelDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Kurt T BarnhartDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Funding

REPRODUCTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY TRAINING GRANTT32HD007440 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI BARNHART, KURT T · 1996 to 2020
$7.5M
RISK FACTORS AS PREDICTORS OF ECTOPIC PREGNANCYR01HD036455 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI BARNHART, KURT T · 1999 to 2010
$4.1M
Development of a serum biosignature for ectopic pregnancy.R01HD076279 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI BARNHART, KURT T · 2014 to 2018
$3.4M
NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD036455NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD076279NICHD NIH HHS T32 HD007440
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo compare the treatment success and failure rates, as well as side effects and surgery rates, between methotrexate protocols. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library searched up to July 2018. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials that compared women with ectopic pregnancies receiving the single-dose, two-dose, or multi-dose methotrexate protocols. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS

methodsOdds of treatment success, treatment failure, side effects, and surgery for tubal rupture, as well as length of follow-up until treatment success, were compared using random and fixed effects meta-analysis. Sensitivity analyses compared treatment success in the groups with high human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG) values and a large adnexal mass, as defined by individual studies. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used to assess risk of bias.

resultsThe 2-dose protocol was associated with higher treatment success compared to the single-dose protocol (odds ratio [OR], 1.84; 95% CI, 1.13, 3.00). The 2-dose protocol was more successful in women with high hCG (OR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.53, 6.84) and in women with a large adnexal mass (OR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.23, 6.9). The odds of surgery for tubal rupture were lower in the 2-dose protocol (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.26, 1.63), but this was not statistically significant. The length of follow-up was 7.9 days shorter for the 2-dose protocol (95% CI, -12.2, -3.5). The odds of side effects were higher in the 2-dose protocol (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.01, 2.30). Compared to the single-dose protocol, the multi-dose protocol was associated with a nonsignificant reduction in treatment failure (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.28, 1.13) and a higher chance of side effects (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.24, 3.54). The odds of surgery for tubal rupture (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 0.41, 6.49) and time to follow-up (OR, -1.3; 95% CI, -5.4, 2.7) were similar.

conclusionThe 2-dose methotrexate protocol is superior to the single-dose protocol for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy in terms of treatment success and time to success. Importantly, these findings hold true in patients thought to be at a lower likelihood of responding to medical management, such as those with higher hCGs and a large adnexal mass.

Indexed as

Abortifacient Agents, NonsteroidalChorionic GonadotropinDose-Response Relationship, DrugFallopian TubesFemaleHumansMethotrexatePregnancyPregnancy, EctopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRuptureAbortifacient Agents, NonsteroidalChorionic GonadotropinMethotrexatedosesectopic pregnancymedical managementmethotrexateprotocoltubal pregnancy

Identifiers

PMID30629908
PMCPMC6612469

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.