Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31891136›Full record

ArticleEClinicalMedicine2019

Posterior lamellar versus bilamellar tarsal rotation surgery for trachomatous trichiasis: Long-term outcomes from a randomised controlled trial.

Esmael Habtamu, Tariku Wondie, Zerihun Tadesse, Bezawit Atinafu, Bizuayehu Gashaw, Abebaw Gebeyehu, E Kelly Callahan, David Macleod, Matthew J Burton

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Trachoma.Lancet (London, England) · 2025
    Review
  6. Trachoma.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2022
    Review
  7. Article
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

9 authors.

Esmael HabtamuInternational Centre for Eye Health, Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Tariku WondieThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Zerihun TadesseThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Bezawit AtinafuThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Bizuayehu GashawAmhara Regional Health Bureau, Bahirdar, Ethiopia.
Abebaw GebeyehuAmhara Regional Health Bureau, Bahirdar, Ethiopia.
E Kelly CallahanThe Carter Center, Atlanta, USA.
David MacleodDepartment of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Matthew J BurtonInternational Centre for Eye Health, Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/R010161/1Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe re-examined the participants of a clinical trial four years after enrolment to identify which of the two most commonly used eyelid surgery procedures to treat the blinding stage of trachoma (trachomatous trichiasis, TT), the posterior Lamellar Tarsal Rotation (PLTR) and Billamelar Tarsal Rotation (BLTR), gives better results in the long-term.

methodsA randomised, controlled, single masked clinical trial was done in Ethiopia. At baseline, adults (aged >18 years with upper lid unoperated TT were recruited from a community-based screening. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1), to either BLTR or PLTR surgery, stratified by surgeon. At 4 years an independent assessor masked to allocation examined the trial participants' eyes using the same procedures as for the baseline and earlier follow-ups. The primary outcome was the proportion of individuals who had recurrence (postoperative TT, PTT) at the 4-year examination, or a history of repeat surgery in the 4-year period. The intervention effect was estimated by logistic regression, controlled for surgeon as a fixed effect in the model. The trial is registered with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (number PACTR201401000743135).

findings1000 participants with TT were enrolled, randomly assigned, and treated (501 in the BLTR group and 499 in the PLTR group) between Feb 13, 2014, and May 31, 2014. At year 4, 943 (94.3%) participants were re-examined (471, PLTR; 472, BLTR) and included in the primary outcome analysis. PTT had developed in 169/943 (17•9%) study eyes, among which 129 (76•3%) had minor trichiasis (≤5 lashes touching the eye). PTT was significantly more frequent at 4-year in the BLTR arm (105/472 [22•2%]) than the PLTR arm (64/471 [13•6%]), adjusted OR 1•82 (95% CI, 1•29-2•56);

interpretationThe PLTR surgical procedure had superior long-term outcomes to the BLTR with significantly lower risk of PTT supporting the current WHO guideline that the PLTR should be the procedure of choice for training new surgeons in the programmatic management of TT.

Indexed as

EthiopiaPostoperativeRecurrenceSurgeryTrachomaTrichiasis

Identifiers

PMID31891136
PMCPMC6933225

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.