Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41111088›Full record

SynthesisNeurosurgical review2025

Efficacy of neurosurgical intervention in syrinx resolution in patients presenting with Chiari malformation type I and syringomyelia: a systematic review and radiological meta-analysis.

Adharsh Suraj Prasad, Aqif Farhan Bin Azmil Farid, Isaac Tang Jing Wen, Thomas Zhang, Chandrasekaran Kaliaperumal

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

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

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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

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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

5 authors.

Adharsh Suraj PrasadUniversity of Edinburgh Medical School, Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH16 4SB, UK. adharsh.surajprasad@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-2326-6336
Aqif Farhan Bin Azmil FaridAberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZN, UK.
Isaac Tang Jing WenRoyal Infirmary Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH16 4SA, UK.
Thomas ZhangUniversity of Edinburgh Medical School, Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH16 4SB, UK.
Chandrasekaran KaliaperumalUniversity of Edinburgh Medical School, Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH16 4SB, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Neurosurgical techniques have been used to treat Chiari Malformation type 1 (CM1). However, there remains some uncertainty regarding which neurosurgical procedure is most efficacious in treating patients with CMI and syringomyelia. Our study aims to compare the efficacy of available neurosurgical techniques in resolving syrinx for patients with CM1 and syringomyelia. Included studies must report both pre-and post-operative syrinx measurements, discuss the use of nurosurgery, and involve patients with CM1 and syringomyelia. Studies with less than 5 patients were excluded. Databases used to identify studies included PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Ovid. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, Joanna Briggs Institute checklist, and the Risk of Bias 2 analysis tools assesed the risk of bias in the study. A meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model, and forest plots illustrated the results. A total of 20 studies involving 3,063 patients with CM1 and syringomyelia were included in the study. Posterior fossa decompression with duraplasty (PFDD) demonstrated significant syrinx reduction: syrinx width (SW) reduced by a mean difference (MD) of 2.46 mm (95% CI: 2.16-2.76), syrinx length by 1.68 vertebral segments (95% CI: 1.44-1.92), and syrinx-to-cord ratio by 0.21( 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.26). Posterior fossa decompression with tonsillar reduction (PFDTR) had significantly reduced SW (MD: 2.85 mm, 95% CI: 1.99-3.71). It was superior to PFDD in the syrinx-to-cord ratio (MD: 0.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.01 to 0.08). Fourth ventricular stents (FVS) and syringo-subarachnoid shunts (SSS) were other reported techniques, but there were insufficient studies for formal analysis. PFDD and PFDRT are both efficacious in reducing syrinx size in patients with CM1 and syringomyelia. PDRT displayed modest superiority in syrinx resolution, and the clinical significance of this is limited. More studies are needed to determine the efficacy of FVS and SSS.

Indexed as

Arnold-Chiari MalformationNeurosurgical ProceduresSyringomyeliaDecompression, SurgicalHumansTreatment OutcomeChiari malformationPosterior fossa decompressionSyringomyelia

Identifiers

PMID41111088
PMCPMC12535944

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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.