Table 3 A credibility assessment according to the GRADE scoring system
Outcome | No. of participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments and overall results |
|---|---|---|---|
Mean operative time | 228 (3) | High | The findings revealed a statistically significant distinction in surgical duration between obese and non-obese patients. Specifically, obese patients exhibited a prolonged operative time compared to their non-obese counterparts (P = 0.0003) |
Improvement of VAS | 258 (4) | Moderate | The results of the analyses did not show statistically significant differences in the improvement of VAS for back and leg pain in obese patients compared to non-obese patients after FETD (P > 0.05) |
Changes in ODI | 228 (3) | Moderate | The results of the analyses did not show statistically significant differences in the improvement of ODI in obese patients compared to non-obese patients after FETD (P > 0.05) |
Satisfaction rate | 180 (2) | Moderate | The meta-analysis of these results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in the final satisfaction between obese and non-obese patients following FETD (P = 0.22) |
Complication rate | 258 (4) | Moderate | The results of this meta-analysis revealed that obese patients exhibited a higher incidence of total complications after FETD compared to their non-obese counterparts (P = 0.02) |
Recurrence rate | 228 (3) | Low | The meta-analysis revealed that the recurrence rate subsequent to FETD was comparable between non-obese and obese patients, with no statistically significant difference observed (P = 0.06) |