Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37397031›Full record

ReviewSexual medicine2023

Acupuncture for premature ejaculation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hui Zhang, Elena Colonnello, Andrea Sansone, Fu Wang, Jun Guo, Chunling Wang, Yan Zhang, Emmanuele A Jannini

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Sexual medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. 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

8 authors.

Hui ZhangDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy.
Elena ColonnelloDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy.
Andrea SansoneDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1210-2843
Fu WangDepartment of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100091, China.
Jun GuoDepartment of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100091, China.
Chunling WangDepartment of Infertility and Sexual Medicine, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China.
Yan ZhangDepartment of Infertility and Sexual Medicine, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China.
Emmanuele A JanniniDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Although acupuncture is widely used to treat premature ejaculation (PE), its effectiveness remains highly controversial. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on PE. Methods: According to the relevant keywords, 11 major English and Chinese databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture alone or in combination with other treatments for PE. The quality of evidence across studies was assessed by the GRADEpro tool. Outcomes: Study outcome measures included the intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT), the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), the Chinese Index of Premature Ejaculation-5 (CIPE-5), treatment success rate, and adverse events. Results: Seven trials were included in this review for a total of 603 participants. A low quality of evidence suggests that it is not possible to determine whether acupuncture, as compared with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, has an advantage in improving the IELT (standardized mean difference [SMD], -1.75; 95% CI, -6.12 to 2.63; Clinical Implications: The results suggest a significant effect of acupuncture in the treatment of certain important indicators of PE; however, this finding needs to be treated with caution because of the quality of the RCTs included. Strengths and Limitations: Comprehensive inclusion of available RCTs has been performed. However, limitations include a low number of studies and a lack of detailed information to allow subgroup analysis. Conclusion: The present systematic review and meta-analysis show that acupuncture has a significant effect on several subjective PE parameters, such as improving the feeling of control over ejaculation and distress, particularly when used in an integrated way. However, due to the low quality of evidence, acupuncture still needs larger well-designed RCTs to be confirmed.

Indexed as

acupuncturePEsystematic review and meta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID37397031
PMCPMC10308367

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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.