SynthesisFrontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)2025
Ultrasound-guided acupotomy for cervical spondylosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on GRADE quality assessment.
Synthesis in Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Feasibility, Safety, and Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Acupotomy Treatment for Degenerative Cervical Radiculopathy: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2026Trial
- Ultrasound-guided brachial plexus hydrodissection combined with acupotomy release for the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy: a multicenter retrospective study.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Article
- Acupotomy for Cervical Spondylosis-Related Neck Pain: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided acupotomy (UgA) in treating Cervical spondylosis (CS), particularly in pain relief, improvement in cervical range of motion (CROM), and overall clinical efficacy, through a systematic review and meta-analysis based on GRADE quality assessment. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and CNKI, Wanfang, Weipu, and Sinomed, identifying 33 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Inclusion criteria were: patients aged 18-70 with a diagnosis of CS, intervention with UgA, and control groups receiving placebo, physical therapy, or other conventional treatments. Primary outcomes included clinical effective rate and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, while secondary outcomes encompassed Neck Disability Index (NDI), CROM, and mean flow velocity of vertebral and basilar arteries (MFV-VA/BA). Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool, and meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 15.0. The GRADE approach was used to evaluate evidence quality. Results: Meta-analysis revealed that UgA significantly improved the clinical effective rate compared to control treatments (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.13-1.21), with low heterogeneity ( Conclusion: UgA shows superior efficacy for pain and disability in cervical spondylosis compared to non-UgA and other acupuncture related therapies. However, heterogeneity and potential publication bias exist. It requires skilled practitioners and real-time ultrasound guidance for treatment. Future multinational randomized trials with standardized protocols are needed. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/PROSPERO, PROSPERO CRD42025649835.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.