Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39944549›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in neurology2025

Instrumental balance assessment in Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism. A systematic review with critical appraisal of clinical applications and quality of reporting.

Andrea Merlo, Lorenzo Cavazzuti, Maria Chiara Bò, Francesco Cavallieri, Maria Chiara Bassi, Benedetta Damiano, Sara Scaltriti, Valentina Fioravanti, Giulia Di Rauso, Giacomo Portaro and 3 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Instrumental evaluation of the effect of oral medium-chain triglycerides oil on paroxysmal exercise-induced dyskinesia in GLUT1 deficiency syndrome.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    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

13 authors.

Andrea Merlo *LAM - Motion Analysis Laboratory, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, San Sebastiano Hospital, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Lorenzo Cavazzuti *LAM - Motion Analysis Laboratory, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, San Sebastiano Hospital, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Maria Chiara Bò *Merlo Bioengineering, Parma, Italy.
Francesco Cavallieri *Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Maria Chiara Bassi *Medical Library, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Benedetta Damiano *LAM - Motion Analysis Laboratory, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, San Sebastiano Hospital, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Sara Scaltriti *LAM - Motion Analysis Laboratory, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, San Sebastiano Hospital, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Valentina Fioravanti *Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Giulia Di Rauso *Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Giacomo Portaro *Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Franco Valzania *Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Mirco Lusuardi *Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, Azienda USL-IRCCS Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Isabella Campanini *LAM - Motion Analysis Laboratory, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, San Sebastiano Hospital, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with Parkinson's disease (pwPD) and atypical parkinsonism usually complain of impaired balance. Instrumental posturography is widely used to quantitatively assess static balance in pwPD but many posturographic parameters and protocols have been suggested. We aimed to appraise the use of static posturography in pwPD and atypical parkinsonism, and identify gaps hindering its translation into clinical routine. Methods: A systematic review on four databases. Study methodology, clinical aspects, assessment protocol, technical aspects, and transferability to clinical practice were critically appraised by a set of quality questions, scored on three levels (0, 0.5, 1). Total scores were used to assess overall studies' quality. Results: 132 studies were included. The majority (105/132) was rated medium-quality. The domains "transferability to clinical practice" and "assessment protocol" received the lowest scores. The main flaw hindering portability to clinical settings was the lack of a stated rationale behind the choice of a specific protocol and the selection of the posturographic parameters. Missing reporting about the technical aspects employed to manage posturographic data and comprehensive instructions given to the patients further contributed to lower quality. Discussion: We provided recommendations for enhancing the clinical transferability of studies on static posturography to assess pwPD, including (1) discussing the rationale for choosing the assessment protocols and posturographic parameters, (2) detailing the inclusion criteria and select appropriate samples, and (3) reporting all the technical information to replicate the procedures and computations. Systematic review registration: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on 6th February 2024 (ID CRD42024500777), https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42024500777.

Indexed as

atypical parkinsonismParkinson's diseaseposturographystabilometrystatic balance

Identifiers

PMID39944549
PMCPMC11814473

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.