Post-operative Complication Rates
The cumulative rates of events related to the immediate post-operative phase and the results for each type of event in the two groups are described by the forest plots in Figures 3-12
The basic characteristics of the studies, the descriptive factors of the MSA procedures, the pharmacological therapies, and the outcomes are illustrated in tables 2, 3A-B, and 4.
In the absence of studies comparing the outcomes of MSA with prescribed corticosteroids versus MSA without corticosteroids, a comparative meta-analysis could not be carried out.
In the 37 studies included, a total of 1599 patients (378 Cort, 1221 No-Cort) were analyzed.
Overall, the complication rates post-operatively were comparable between the two study groups, however slight differences existed in the incidence of active suppuration (1.7% Cort vs. 3.2% No-Cort), wound dehiscence (3.9% Cort vs. 2.1% No-Cort) and trismus (2.7% Cort vs. 1.4% No-Cort). Trismus complications were surprisingly unfavorable to the Cort group, perhaps due to the fact that this complication occurred only in a single study. Otherwise, the parameters of swelling (9.3% Cort vs. 10.8% No-Cort) and pain (6.2% Cort vs. 4.9% No-Cort), namely the two for which a corticosteroid effect could have been expected, showed no substantial differences.
The total number of complications could not be calculated or meta-analyzed because different types of complications occurred at varying levels (patient level, sinus level, and implant level).