ArticleIndian journal of anaesthesia2025
Meta-analysis - interpretation of forest plots: A wood for the trees.
Article in Indian journal of anaesthesia, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The role of reviewers in the era of systematic reviews and meta-analysis: A practical guide for researchers.Biomolecules & biomedicine · 2025Guideline
- Prognostic Impact of MYC/TP63 Molecular Subtypes in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis.Cancers · 2026Review
- Letter to the Editor: Comments on the interpretation of forest plots in a meta-analysis of endoscopic third ventriculostomy versus ventriculoperitoneal shunt.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026Article
- [Anatomy of the Forest Plot graphic].Revista medica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social · 2026Review
- The missing piece: Can we ignore meta-regression analysis in meta-analytical research?Indian journal of anaesthesia · 2025Article
- Reply to the comments on the "Comparison of efficacy of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block versus thoracolumbar interfascial plane block in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgeries: A systematic review and trial sequential meta-analysis".Indian journal of anaesthesia · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
A forest plot is a graphical tool to visualise and interpret the summary of estimated results in a meta-analysis. However, it is limited by its inability to control for random error, publication bias, heterogeneity, and confounding factors. Therefore, the interpretation can be misleading, resulting in flawed conclusions. A careful interpretation and other complementing techniques are necessary to comprehensively summarise evidence in meta-analyses, reducing the risk of erroneous conclusions. The present review explores the components of forest plots, how to interpret them correctly, fundamental limitations, and techniques to mitigate them, along with examples to provide practical insights to ensure more accurate and reliable meta-analytic results.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.