ReviewCureus2025
Effect of Topical Vancomycin Powder on Surgical Site Infections in Cranioplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Surgical site infections remain a significant complication after cranioplasty, increasing morbidity, hospitalization, and the need for reoperation. While intrawound vancomycin powder has shown efficacy in reducing surgical site infections in other neurosurgical procedures, its role in cranioplasty remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of vancomycin powder in preventing surgical site infections after cranioplasty. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase was conducted through April 2025. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials and observational studies comparing vancomycin powder versus no vancomycin powder in cranioplasty, reporting surgical site infection outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed. Pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed with I² statistics. Three retrospective observational studies were included. The results showed a non-significant trend toward reduced infection with vancomycin powder. Heterogeneity was moderate. Studies varied in vancomycin powder dosing, timing, implant materials, and surgical techniques. Overall risk of bias was moderate, mainly due to missing data. No vancomycin powder-related adverse events were reported. Current evidence suggests a non-significant trend toward surgical site infection reduction with intrawound vancomycin powder in cranioplasty. However, limited sample size, study heterogeneity, and retrospective designs preclude firm conclusions. High-quality randomized trials are needed to establish vancomycin powder's efficacy and safety in this context.
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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.