Year author | STUDY DESIGN | Imaging | Comparator | Disease | No Imaging/ Comparator | Intervention (COMPOUND) | SITE | FAVORS imaging* | FAVORS comparator* | No difference between imaging and comparator* | RoB† |
US vs palpation guidance | |||||||||||
2017 Eslamian45 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | CTS | 27/20 | injection (methylprednisolone) | carpal tunnel | 1 x Efficacy (3 m) | – | 1 x Safety (BSL,3 m) 1 x Efficacy (BSL,3 m) | |
2019 Vahdatpour40 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | CTS | 29/23 | injection (methylprednisolone) | carpal tunnel | 1 x Efficacy (4,12 w) | 1 x Efficacy (4,12 w) | 2 x Safety (BSL, 4, 12 w) 4 x Efficacy (BSL, 4, 12 w) | |
2019 Roh41 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | CTS | 39/35 | injection (lidocaine, triamcinolone) | carpal tunnel | 1 x Safety (4 w) | – | 1 x Safety (24 w) 2 x Efficacy (BSL, 4, 12,24 w) 1 x Efficacy (24 w) | |
2018 Chen44 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | CTS | 17 (22 wrists) /14 (17 wrists) | injection (betamethasone) | carpal tunnel | 1 x Safety (1 w) | – | 4 x Safety (BSL,1 w,1,3,6 m) 20 x Efficacy (BSL,1,3,6 m) | |
2013 Makhlouf46 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | CTS | 37 wrists /40 wrists | injection, hydrodissection (lidocaine, triamcinolone) | carpal tunnel | 6 x Safety (BSL,2 w,6 m) 3 x Efficacy (2 w, 6 m,12 m) 1 x Cost/Time (12 m) | 1 x Cost/Time (12 m) | 1 x Safety (12 m) 2 x Cost/Time (12 m) | |
2018 Omar43 | Prospective cohort study | US | Palpation guidance | CTS | 15/15 | injection (lidocaine, triamcinolone) | carpal tunnel | 2 x Efficacy (4 w) | 1 x Efficacy (4 w) | 2 x Safety (BSL,4w) 8 x Efficacy (BSL,4w) | |
2013 Üstün47 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | CTS | 23/23 | injection (methylprednisolone) | carpal tunnel | 1 x Efficacy (6 w) | – | 2 x Safety (BSL,6,12w) 1 x Efficacy (BSL,6,12w) | |
2019 Rayegani61 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | CTS | 54/27 | injection (triamcinolone, lidocaine) | carpal tunnel | – | – | 3 x Safety (BSL,10w) 7 x Efficacy (BSL,10w) |
*These columns indicate the number of outcomes studied and their categories (eg, 6 × efficacy indicates that six different outcomes related to the efficacy category were studied), with the respective time point(s) when the outcome was determined (parenthesis). The term ‘BSL’ refers to differences concerning the outcomes at BSL. A detailed description of studies and outcomes can be found in supplement.
†A green, yellow, red and black circle indicate low, moderate, high and critical risk of bias, respectively. In case multiple circles are depicted, certain outcomes within one study had different risk of bias.
BSL, baseline; CTS, carpal tunnel syndrome; n.a., not applicable; PICO, Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome; RCT, randomised controlled trial; RoB, Risk of Bias; US, ultrasound.;