Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37007580›Full record

ArticleAnnals of translational medicine2023

Percutaneous catheter drainage versus needle aspiration for liver abscess management: an updated systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials.

Abdelrahman Mahmoud, Mohamed Abuelazm, Ali Ashraf Salah Ahmed, Mahmoud Elshinawy, Omar Ahmed Abdelwahab, Hassan Abdalshafy, Basel Abdelazeem

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of translational medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 8% 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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. World journal of hepatology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Abdelrahman Mahmoud *Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.
Mohamed Abuelazm *Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Ali Ashraf Salah AhmedFaculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.
Mahmoud ElshinawyFaculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.
Omar Ahmed AbdelwahabFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Hassan AbdalshafyFaculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Basel AbdelazeemInternal Medicine Department, McLaren Health Care, Flint, MI, USA.
Minia University · EGAl-Azhar University · EGCairo University · EGMcLaren Health Care · USTanta University · EG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Liver abscess is a life-threatening condition. Percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) and percutaneous needle aspiration (PNA) are both minimally invasive techniques used to manage liver abscess. We aim to compare both techniques' efficacy and safety. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis involving randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from PubMed, Embase, Scopus, WOS, Cochrane, and Google scholar until July 22 Results: We included 15 RCTs with 1,626 patients. Pooled RR favored PCD (RR: 1.21 with 95% CI: 1.11, 1.31, P<0.00001) in success rate and recurrence after six months (RR: 0.41 with 95% CI: 0.22, 0.79, P=0.007). We found no difference in adverse events (RR: 2.2 with 95% CI: 0.51, 9.54, P=0.29). Pooled MD favored PCD in time to clinical improvement (MD: -1.78 with 95% CI: -2.50, -1.06, P<0.00001), time to achieve 50% reduction (MD: -2.83 with 95% CI: -3.36, -2.30], P<0.00001) and duration of antibiotic needed (MD: -2.13 with 95% CI: -3.84, -0.42, P=0.01). We found no difference in the duration of hospitalization (MD: -0.72 with 95% CI: -1.48, 0.03, P=0.06). The results were heterogeneous for all the continuous outcomes which were all measured in days. Conclusions: Our updated meta-analysis concluded that PCD is more effective than PNA in liver abscess drainage. However, evidence is still uncertain, and more high-quality trials are still required to confirm our results.

Indexed as

aspirationcatheterdrainageHepaticneedle

Identifiers

PMID37007580
PMCPMC10061459
OpenAlexW4323794364

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.