Cochrane Db Syst Rev
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2014
Review Comparative StudyEndothelial keratoplasty versus penetrating keratoplasty for Fuchs endothelial dystrophy.
Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (FED) is a condition in which there is premature degeneration of corneal endothelial cells. When the number of endothelial cells is reduced to a significant degree, fluid begins to accumulate within the cornea. As a result, the cornea loses its transparency and the individual suffers a reduction in vision. The only successful surgical treatment for this condition is replacement of part or all of the cornea with healthy tissue from a donor. The established procedure, penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), has been used for many years and its safety and efficacy are well known. Endothelial keratoplasty (EK) techniques are relatively new surgical procedures and their safety and efficacy relative to PKP are uncertain. ⋯ The rapid growth of endothelial keratoplasty as the treatment of choice for FED is based upon the belief that visual recovery is more rapid, surgically induced astigmatism (regular and irregular) is less and rates of transplant rejection are lower with EK. This change in practice also assumes that the rates of long term transplant survival are equal for the two procedures. The practical differences between the surgical procedures mean that visual recovery is inherently more rapid following EK, but this review found no strong evidence from RCTs of any difference in the final visual outcome between EK and PKP for people with FED. This review also found that higher order aberrations are fewer following EK but endothelial cell loss is greater following EK. The RCTs that we included employed different EK techniques, which may have a bearing on these findings. EK procedures have evolved over the years and can be performed using different techniques, for example deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty, Descemets stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), Descemets stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), femtosecond laser-assisted endothelial keratoplasty and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). More RCTs are needed to compare PKP with commonly performed EK procedures such as DSEK, DSAEK and DMEK in order to determine the answers to two key questions, whether there is any difference in the final visual outcome between these techniques and whether there are differences in the rates of graft survival in the long term?
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2014
ReviewPharmacological treatment of vascular risk factors for reducing mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Pharmacological prophylaxis has been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with atherosclerotic occlusive arterial disease. However, the role of prophylaxis in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) remains unclear. Several studies have shown that despite successful repair, those with AAA have a poorer rate of survival than healthy controls. People with AAA have an increased prevalence of coronary heart disease and risk of cardiovascular events. Despite this association, little is known about the effectiveness of pharmacological prophylaxis in reducing cardiovascular risk in people with AAA. ⋯ Due to the limited number of trials, there is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of cardiovascular prophylaxis in reducing mortality and cardiovascular events in people with AAA. Further good-quality randomised controlled trials examining many types of prophylaxis with long-term follow-up are required before firm conclusions can be made.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2014
Review Meta AnalysisWITHDRAWN: Robotic surgery for benign gynaecological disease.
This review is being withdrawn as now superceded by a new review covering both malignant an benign disease: Lawrie TA, Liu H, Lu D, Dowswell T, Song H, Wang L, Shi G. Robot‐assisted surgery in gynaecology. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, Issue 4. ⋯ CD011422.pub (https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858. CD011422.pub2/full). The editorial group responsible for this previously published document have withdrawn it from publication.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2014
Review Meta AnalysisParenteral anticoagulation in ambulatory patients with cancer.
Anticoagulation may improve survival in patients with cancer through an antitumor effect in addition to the perceived antithrombotic effect. ⋯ Heparin may have a small effect on mortality at 12 months and 24 months. It is associated with a reduction in venous thromboembolism and a likely increase in minor bleeding. Future research should further investigate the survival benefit of different types of anticoagulants in patients with different types and stages of cancer. The decision for a patient with cancer to start heparin therapy for survival benefit should balance the benefits and downsides, and should integrate the patient's values and preferences.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2014
Review Meta AnalysisUniversal school-based prevention for illicit drug use.
Drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease. Primary interventions should aim to reduce first use or to prevent the transition from experimental use to addiction. School is the appropriate setting for preventive interventions. ⋯ School programmes based on a combination of social competence and social influence approaches showed, on average, small but consistent protective effects in preventing drug use, even if some outcomes did not show statistical significance. Some programmes based on the social competence approach also showed protective effects for some outcomes.Since the effects of school-based programmes are small, they should form part of more comprehensive strategies for drug use prevention in order to achieve a population-level impact.