The reporting of study and population characteristics in degenerative cervical myelopathy: A systematic review.

<h4>Object</h4>Degenerative cervical myelopathy [DCM] is a disabling and increasingly prevalent condition. Variable reporting in interventional trials of study design and sample characteristics limits the interpretation of pooled outcomes. This is pertinent in DCM where baseline characte...

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Main Authors: Benjamin M Davies, M McHugh, A Elgheriani, Angelos G Kolias, Lindsay Tetreault, Peter J A Hutchinson, Michael G Fehlings, Mark R N Kotter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172564
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author Benjamin M Davies
M McHugh
A Elgheriani
Angelos G Kolias
Lindsay Tetreault
Peter J A Hutchinson
Michael G Fehlings
Mark R N Kotter
author_facet Benjamin M Davies
M McHugh
A Elgheriani
Angelos G Kolias
Lindsay Tetreault
Peter J A Hutchinson
Michael G Fehlings
Mark R N Kotter
author_sort Benjamin M Davies
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Object</h4>Degenerative cervical myelopathy [DCM] is a disabling and increasingly prevalent condition. Variable reporting in interventional trials of study design and sample characteristics limits the interpretation of pooled outcomes. This is pertinent in DCM where baseline characteristics are known to influence outcome. The present study aims to assess the reporting of the study design and baseline characteristics in DCM as the premise for the development of a standardised reporting set.<h4>Methods</h4>A systematic review of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42015025497) was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Full text articles in English, with >50 patients (prospective) or >200 patients (retrospective), reporting outcomes of DCM were deemed to be eligible.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 108 studies involving 23,876 patients, conducted world-wide, were identified. 33 (31%) specified a clear primary objective. Study populations often included radiculopathy (51, 47%) but excluded patients who had undergone previous surgery (42, 39%). Diagnositic criteria for myelopathy were often uncertain; MRI assessment was specified in only 67 (62%) of studies. Patient comorbidities were referenced by 37 (34%) studies. Symptom duration was reported by 46 (43%) studies. Multivariate analysis was used to control for baseline characteristics in 33 (31%) of studies.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The reporting of study design and sample characteristics is variable. The development of a consensus minimum dataset for (CODE-DCM) will facilitate future research synthesis in the future.
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spelling doaj-art-792ff9915a8741b3923a75f4ad4b56342025-08-20T02:20:41ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01123e017256410.1371/journal.pone.0172564The reporting of study and population characteristics in degenerative cervical myelopathy: A systematic review.Benjamin M DaviesM McHughA ElgherianiAngelos G KoliasLindsay TetreaultPeter J A HutchinsonMichael G FehlingsMark R N Kotter<h4>Object</h4>Degenerative cervical myelopathy [DCM] is a disabling and increasingly prevalent condition. Variable reporting in interventional trials of study design and sample characteristics limits the interpretation of pooled outcomes. This is pertinent in DCM where baseline characteristics are known to influence outcome. The present study aims to assess the reporting of the study design and baseline characteristics in DCM as the premise for the development of a standardised reporting set.<h4>Methods</h4>A systematic review of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42015025497) was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Full text articles in English, with >50 patients (prospective) or >200 patients (retrospective), reporting outcomes of DCM were deemed to be eligible.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 108 studies involving 23,876 patients, conducted world-wide, were identified. 33 (31%) specified a clear primary objective. Study populations often included radiculopathy (51, 47%) but excluded patients who had undergone previous surgery (42, 39%). Diagnositic criteria for myelopathy were often uncertain; MRI assessment was specified in only 67 (62%) of studies. Patient comorbidities were referenced by 37 (34%) studies. Symptom duration was reported by 46 (43%) studies. Multivariate analysis was used to control for baseline characteristics in 33 (31%) of studies.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The reporting of study design and sample characteristics is variable. The development of a consensus minimum dataset for (CODE-DCM) will facilitate future research synthesis in the future.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172564
spellingShingle Benjamin M Davies
M McHugh
A Elgheriani
Angelos G Kolias
Lindsay Tetreault
Peter J A Hutchinson
Michael G Fehlings
Mark R N Kotter
The reporting of study and population characteristics in degenerative cervical myelopathy: A systematic review.
PLoS ONE
title The reporting of study and population characteristics in degenerative cervical myelopathy: A systematic review.
title_full The reporting of study and population characteristics in degenerative cervical myelopathy: A systematic review.
title_fullStr The reporting of study and population characteristics in degenerative cervical myelopathy: A systematic review.
title_full_unstemmed The reporting of study and population characteristics in degenerative cervical myelopathy: A systematic review.
title_short The reporting of study and population characteristics in degenerative cervical myelopathy: A systematic review.
title_sort reporting of study and population characteristics in degenerative cervical myelopathy a systematic review
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172564
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