Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40468446›Full record

ArticleTrials2025

A protocol for developing, disseminating, and implementing a core outcome set for caesarean scar ectopic pregnancy research: COSCAR.

Simrit Nijjar, Cecilia Bottomley, Munira Oza, Ilan E Timor-Tritsch, Andrea Kaelin Agten, Francesco D'Antonio, Krystle Y Chong, Lan N Vuong, Jin Li, Rosanna Acklom and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Simrit NijjarEGA Institute for Women's Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8002-0981
Cecilia BottomleyEGA Institute for Women's Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
Munira OzaThe Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, London, UK.
Ilan E Timor-TritschHackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, USA.
Andrea Kaelin AgtenLiverpool Women's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Francesco D'AntonioCenter for Fetal Care and High-Risk Pregnancy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Chieti, Chieti, Italy.
Krystle Y ChongDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
Lan N VuongDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Jin LiDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Clinical Research Center for Obstetric and Gynecologic Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
Rosanna AcklomEGA Institute for Women's Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
Ben W MolDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
Davor JurkovicEGA Institute for Women's Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK. davor.jurkovic@nhs.net.
International Collaboration COSCAR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCaesarean scar ectopic pregnancy (CSEP) is the most common of type of uterine ectopic pregnancy and is associated with significant morbidity. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is therefore of paramount importance. Currently there is no universally agreed treatment option for CSEP supported by any national or international society. Studies evaluating CSEP management report many different outcomes and often define and measure success or complications of various treatments in different ways. This variation in reporting of outcomes leads to heterogeneity and an inability to directly, or reliably compare results of studies, leaving the question of what the optimal treatment is unanswered. We aim to develop a minimum set of outcomes that should be reported in all future research in CSEP.

methodsAn international steering committee of key stakeholders, including researchers, healthcare professionals, patient advocates, and people with a lived experience of CSEP, has been established. A long list of potential outcomes will be identified from a systematic literature review and by interviewing people with a lived experience of CSEP. Key stakeholders will then be asked to prioritise the outcomes via a modified 2-round Delphi survey. Outcomes will be scored using a modified nine-point Likert scale that ranges from 1 (extremely unimportant) to 9 (extremely important) and an additional outcome of 'I can't rate the outcome because I don't know the outcome'. Finally, the steering group will refine by consensus the final core outcome set. The consensus process will result in a core outcome set that is internationally relevant to all key stakeholders. We will actively disseminate our findings to help improve clinical trials and guidelines with the ultimate aim of improving the diagnosis and management of CSEP. DISCUSSION: Implementing a core outcome set for CSEP will prevent research waste and improve patient centredness, by enabling reliable comparisons of different treatments for CSEP. This process will also help raise awareness of this condition, increasing clinician knowledge, which in turn will help them counsel patients more effectively, therefore benefiting professionals and patients alike. Expertise in diagnosing and managing this condition is currently focused in a handful of expert centres and many healthcare professionals are not always confident or comfortable in managing these patients and therefore refer them to other centres, which can be considerable distances from patients' localities. This core outcome set will aim to advance sharing of knowledge and spread expertise in time.

trial registrationCOMET 2903. Registered in November 2023. Available online on: https://www.comet-initiative.org/Studies/Details/2903 .

Indexed as

Cesarean SectionCicatrixEndpoint DeterminationPregnancy, EctopicResearch DesignConsensusDelphi TechniqueFemaleHumansInformation DisseminationPregnancyStakeholder ParticipationTreatment OutcomeCaesarean scar ectopic pregnancyCore outcomesModified Delphi methodologyTreatment

Identifiers

PMID40468446
PMCPMC12135297

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.