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Table 1 Description of the 38 identified clinical research questions in orthopaedics

From: Feasibility of individual patient data meta-analyses in orthopaedic surgery

Anatomic area

Pathology

Intervention

Comparator

Primary outcomes

Shoulder

Rotator cuff tears

Arthroscopic double-row repair

Arthroscopic single-row repair

Function

Midshaft clavicular fractures

Surgical treatment

Non-operative treatment

Function

Proximal humeral fractures in older patients

Surgical treatment

Non-operative treatment

Function

Osteoarthritis

Total shoulder arthroplasty

Shoulder hemiarthroplasty

Function

Arm

Humeral shaft fracture

Intramedullary nail

Internal fixation with plate

Function

Elbow

Supracondylar fractures in children

Lateral pin fixation

Crossed pin fixation

Function, iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury

Wrist

Distal radial fractures

Anterior ORIF

External fixation

Function, radiographic consolidation

Distal radial fractures

Anterior ORIF

Posterior ORIF

Function, radiographic consolidation

Hip

Osteoarthritis

Minimally invasive approach

Standard approach

Function, revision rate

Osteoarthritis

No wound drainage after THA

Wound drainage after THA

Function, wound infection, wound haematoma

Osteoarthritis

Navigated THA

Conventional arthroplasty

Function, revision rate, dislocation

Intracapsular fractures

Uncemented hemiarthroplasty

Cemented hemiarthroplasty

Mortality, function, pain at 1 year, revision rate

Osteoarthritis

Uncemented THA

Cemented THA

Function, revision rate

Hip and knee

Osteoarthritis

Antibiotic impregnated cement

Non-antibiotic-impregnated cement

Postoperative infection rate

Knee

Osteoarthritis

TKA, minimally invasive approach

Standard approach for TKA

Function

Osteoarthritis

Mobile-bearing TKA

Fixed-bearing TKA

Function, reoperation rate

Osteoarthritis

TKA without tourniquet

TKA under tourniquet

Function, total blood loss

Osteoarthritis

Drainage clamping after TKA

TKA conventional drainage

Hb loss, transfusion, function

Osteoarthritis

No patellar resurfacing in TKA

Patellar resurfacing in TKA

Function, reoperation rate, anterior knee pain

Osteoarthritis

PCL-retaining TKA

Posterior-stabilized TKA

Function, reoperation rate

Osteoarthritis

TKA electrocautery of patella

No electrocautery of patella

Function, reoperation rate, anterior knee pain

Osteoarthritis

Gender-specific TKA

Unisex TKA

Function, reoperation rate, pain,

Osteoarthritis

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty

Tibial osteotomy

Function, reoperation rate

ACL tears

Double-bundle ACL reconstruction

Single-bundle ACL reconstruction

Function, reoperation rate

ACL tears

Early ACL reconstruction

Delayed ACL reconstruction

Function, reoperation rate

ACL tears

Allograft ACL reconstruction

Autograft ACL reconstruction

Function, reoperation rate

Arthroscopic procedures

Arthroscopic procedures without tourniquet

Arthroscopic procedures using tourniquet

Function

Leg

Distal tibial shaft fractures

Intramedullary nailing

Internal fixation with plate

Function, nonunion and malunion rate

Tibial shaft fractures

Reamed intramedullary nailing

Unreamed intramedullary nailing

Function, nonunion and malunion rate

Ankle

Acute Achilles tendon rupture

Early weight bearing

Delayed weight bearing

Function, rerupture rate

Ankle fractures

Surgical treatment, biodegradable implants

Surgical treatment, conventional implants

Function, nonunion and malunion rate

Foot

Calcaneal fractures

Surgical treatment

Non-operative treatment

Function, chronic pain

Spine

Cervical disc disease

Cervical disc arthroplasty

Cervical interbody fusion

Function, pain

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures

Percutaneous vertebroplasty

Conservative treatment

Function, pain, quality of life

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures

Bilateral pedicular kyphoplasty

Unilateral pedicular kyphoplasty

Function, pain, quality of life

Lumbar disc disease

Lumbar disc arthroplasty

Lumbar interbody fusion

Function, pain

Thoracolumbar burst fractures

Fracture fixation associated to fusion

Fracture fixation alone

Function, pain, quality of life

Thoracolumbar burst fractures

Surgical treatment

Conservative treatment

Function, pain, quality of life

  1. ACL: Anterior cruciate ligament; Hb: Haemoglobin; ORIF: Open reduction and internal fixation; PCL: Posterior cruciate ligament; THA: Total hip arthroplasty; TKA: Total knee arthroplasty