An investigation of the impact of using contrast- and arm-synthesis models for network meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Network meta-analysis allows the synthesis of relative effects from several treatments. Two broad approaches are available to synthesize the data: arm-synthesis and contrast-synthesis, with several models that can be fitted within each. Limited evaluations comparing these approaches are available. We re-analyzed 118 networks of interventions with binary outcomes using three contrast-synthesis models (CSM; one fitted in a frequentist framework and two in a Bayesian framework) and two arm-synthesis models (ASM; both fitted in a Bayesian framework). We compared the estimated log odds ratios, their standard errors, ranking measures and the between-trial heterogeneity using the different models and investigated if differences in the results were modified by network characteristics. In general,

SUBMITTER: Karahalios A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12527487 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature