Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34160795›Full record

SynthesisAmerican journal of clinical dermatology2021

Therapeutic Strategies for Untreated Capillary Malformations of the Head and Neck Region: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.

Gonca Cinkara, Ginger Beau Langbroek, Chantal M A M van der Horst, Albert Wolkerstorfer, Sophie E R Horbach, Dirk T Ubbink

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in American journal of clinical dermatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 14% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
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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 2 institutions in 1 country.

Gonca Cinkara *Faculty of Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ginger Beau Langbroek *Department of Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location AMC, P.O. Box 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. g.b.langbroek@amsterdamumc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9801-1415
Chantal M A M van der HorstDepartment of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Albert WolkerstorferDepartment of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Sophie E R HorbachDepartment of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Dirk T UbbinkDepartment of Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location AMC, P.O. Box 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Amsterdam University Medical Centers · NLUniversity of Amsterdam · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCapillary malformations of the head and neck region often cause psychological and physical burden. As the effectiveness of modern laser and light therapies is still suboptimal, patients often seek different therapeutic strategies. Other recognized, but not routinely proposed therapies include cosmetic camouflage, surgery, and medical tattooing. Information on therapeutic outcomes is currently lacking for patients to adequately participate in the treatment decision-making process.

objectiveThe objective of this systematic review was to review the effectiveness and safety of recognized therapies for untreated capillary malformations of the head and neck: laser and light treatment modalities, photodynamic therapy, cosmetic camouflage, medical tattooing, and surgery.

methodsPubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched up to 16 December, 2020 for observational and experimental studies examining recognized therapies for untreated capillary malformations of the head and neck. Two reviewers independently evaluated the risk of bias of included studies. Predefined treatment and safety outcomes of pooled data were scored using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).

resultsWe included 48 observational and three randomized studies (totaling 3068 patients), evaluating nine different therapies. No studies on surgery or cosmetic camouflage matched our inclusion criteria. The pooled proportion of patients reaching a ≥75% clearance was 43% (95% confidence interval 24-64%; I

conclusionsThe pulsed dye laser seems preferable for treatment-naive capillary malformations of the head and neck region, yet demonstrates greater hyperpigmentation rates compared with other therapies. Our results are, however, based on low-quality evidence. Future studies using uniform outcome measures and validated metrics are warranted for study comparability. Based on this systematic review, clinicians and patients should be aware of the limited evidence about the available options when making (shared) treatment decisions for capillary malformations.

trial registrationReview registration number PROSPERO database: CRD42020199445.

Indexed as

HumansLaser TherapyNeckPort-Wine StainRemission InductionRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID34160795
PMCPMC8421304
OpenAlexW3175231292

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.