External application of traditional Chinese medicine for fat liquefaction in abdominal incision: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Fat liquefaction in the abdominal incision (FLAI) is a common malignant complication with limitations of current treatments. Given the poor prognosis associated with an abdominal incision, many patients seek additional therapies that may improve the quality of life. Several external applications of traditional Chinese medicine (EA-TCM) have been evaluated in clinical trials, but fewer are known about them outside of China. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of EA-TCM for prevention and treatment of fat liquefaction in abdominal incision. Fifty-four (54) of seven thousand three hundred and sixty-three (7363) randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in seven electronic databases met inclusion criteria. Two researchers independently selected articles, extracted data, assessed quality, and cross-checked the results. Revman 5.3.1 was used to analyze the results. The meta-analysis indicated that compared with conventional therapies alone or EA-TCM combined with conventional therapy. EA-TCM could elevate total effectiveness rate in treatment and preventing FLAI, reducing the incidence of FLAI; decreasing healing time of FLAI and average hospitalization time without serious adverse effects. Therefore, clinicians may consider EA-TCM as a viable complementary and alternative medicine for FLAI. However, a clinical recommendation is not warranted due to the low methodology quality. Multi-center and high-quality RCTs with large sample sizes are needed.