Re: Zuo K, Wang C, Wang J, et al. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt through left branch versus right branch
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Re: Zuo K, Wang C, Wang J, et al. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt through left branch versus right branch of portal vein: a meta‑analysis. Abdom Radiol (NY) 2020 Zhaonan Li1 · Xinwei Han1 Received: 17 October 2020 / Revised: 17 October 2020 / Accepted: 24 October 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
To the Editor, Zuo et al. [1]. reported a total of 2592 patients with liver cirrhosis in eight studies, and compared the clinical outcomes between patients that underwent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) via the left (n = 1500) and right portal veins (n = 1092). We appreciate the writing intention of this meta-analysis, and recognize the value of comparing stents located in different portal vein branches on the outcome; however, several methodological issues in the article, which are worthy of comment. Since meta-analysis is a comprehensive analysis of the existing studies on a certain topic, it is the basis of literature retrieval to collect relevant literature as comprehensively and systematically as possible. However, animals are selected as the subjects in this article, which directly leads to no practical value of the research results [2]. In addition, it is necessary to specify the inclusion and exclusion criteria of qualified literature before inclusion. The study of Xue et al. [3] mainly discusses the impact of covered stents and bare stents on the prognosis of TIPS outcomes. If such data are really needed, at least the data content should be further refined. Furthermore, the authors did not assess the risk of bias for the meta-analysis, which should be part of the conduct and reporting of any systematic review [4].
Finally, this study did not use funnel plots or other methods to detect publication bias, which should also be reflected in the meta-analysis. If the authors failed to assess the publication bias due to objective reasons (such as too few studies included), it should be explained in the article.
References 1. Zuo K, Wang C, Wang J, et al. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt through left branch versus right branch of portal vein: a meta-analysis. Abdom Radiol (NY) 2020. 2. Chu J, Sun X, Piao L, et al (2002) Portosystemic Shunt via the Left Branch of Portal Vein for the Prevention of Encephalopathy Following Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt. Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi 10:437‐440. 3. Xue H, Yuan J, Chao-Li Y, et al (2011) Follow-up study of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in the treatment of portal hypertension. Dig Dis Sci 56:3350‐3356. 4. Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, et al. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate healthcare interventions: explanation and elaboration. BMJ 2009;339:b2700. Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This comment refers to the article available online at https://doi. org/10.1007/s0026
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