Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34374808›Full record

SynthesisGraefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie2022

Efficacy and safety of a vectored thermal pulsation system (Lipiflow®) in the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Jindong Hu, Sixing Zhu, Xinquan Liu

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed, 3 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

35 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. LipiFlow for the treatment of dry eye disease: A Cochrane systematic review summary.Contact lens & anterior eye : the journal of the British Contact Lens Association · 2025
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  3. LipiFlow for the treatment of dry eye disease.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024
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  7. Efficacy and safety of a multi-action tear substitute based on 0.15% cross-linked hyaluronic acid, 3% trehalose and liposomes with stearylamine: A randomized, single-mask, controlled study.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2025
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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

3 authors.

Jindong Hu *Department of Integrative Medicine, Huashan Hospital North, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201907, China.
Sixing Zhu *Institute of Science, Technology and Humanities of Shanghai, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Xinquan LiuDepartment of Ophthalmology, Longhua Hospital Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xuhui District, No.725 South Wanping Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 200032, China. drliuxinquan@hotmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo investigate the efficacy and safety of a vectored thermal pulsation system (Lipiflow®) in the treatment of dry eye disease resulting from meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

methodsWe searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in Embase, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov up to 4 January 2021. The subjective symptoms, objective tests of dry eye, meibomian gland function, and the incidence of adverse events were evaluated.

resultsTen qualified RCTs incorporating 761 patients were analyzed. In the comparison of Lipiflow® treatment and lid hygiene, the subgroup with inconsistent units of randomization and analysis showed that the Lipiflow® treatment brought slight improvement in corneal fluorescein staining (mean difference (MD), - 0.42; 95% CI, - 0.75 to - 0.1), significant improvements in ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score (MD, - 7.4; 95% CI, - 11.06 to - 3.74), Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) score (MD, - 2.7; 95% CI, - 3.95 to - 1.45), meibomian glands yielding liquid secretion (MGYLS) (MD, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.78 to 1.82), and meibomian glands yielding secretion score (MGYSS) (MD, 4.09; 95% CI, 1.18 to 6.99). Meanwhile, significant improvements were detected in OSDI score, SPEED score, MGYLS, and MGYSS with patients who received Lipiflow® treatment compared with those who received nontreatment. The adverse events were comparable in the two control groups.

conclusionsLipiflow® treatment can improve the subjective and objective outcomes of MGD and does not increase the incidence of adverse events. The improper choice of units of analysis may be the leading cause of heterogeneity, which should be noted in the design of future ophthalmology research. Additional well-designed, large-scale RCTs are required to reach a firmer conclusion.

Indexed as

Dry Eye SyndromesHyperthermia, InducedMeibomian Gland DysfunctionHumansMeibomian GlandsTearsTreatment OutcomeDry eye diseaseLid hygieneLipiflow®Meibomian gland dysfunctionMeta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID34374808

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.