Corticosteroid and antiviral therapy for Bell's palsy: a network meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Previous meta-analyses of treatments for Bell's palsy are still inconclusive due to different comparators, insufficient data, and lack of power. We therefore conducted a network meta-analysis combining direct and indirect comparisons for assessing efficacy of steroids and antiviral treatment (AVT) at 3 and 6 months.

Methods

We searched Medline and EMBASE until September 2010 using PubMed and Elsviere search engines. A network meta-analysis was performed to assess disease recovery using a mixed effects hierarchical model. Goodness of fit of the model was assessed, and the pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated.

Results

Six studies (total n = 1805)were eligible and contributed to the network meta-analysis. The pooled ORs for re

SUBMITTER: Numthavaj P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3025847 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature