Compression of the Fourth Ventricle Using a Craniosacral Osteopathic Technique: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Evidence

Table 1

Characteristics of the included studies.

Study	Design	Objective of study
Cardoso-de-Mello-e-Mello-Ribeiro AP et al., 2015 [6]	RCT	To evaluate the effects of the fourth-ventricle compression on the autonomic nervous system.
Cutler et al., 2005 [12]	RCT	To determine whether cranial manipulation alters sleep latency and investigate its effects on MSNA as a potential mechanism for altered sleep latency.
Hanten et al., 1999 [11]	RCT	To investigate the effectiveness of CV4 and resting techniques, following single treatment, in patients with TTH.
Miana et al., 2013 [2]	RCT	To measure absolute alpha power in the occipital area in healthy adults.
Martins et al., 2015 [13]	RCT	To determine immediate changes in electroencephalography activity in individuals with nonspecific chronic LBP.
Milnes and Moran, 2007 [14]	Before-and-after study	To investigate the physiological effects of a single CV4 in comparison to simple touch.
Nelson et al., 2006 [15]	Before-and-after study	To examine the CV4 and its effect upon blood flow velocity.

RCT: randomized controlled trial; CV4: compression of the fourth ventricle; TTH: tension-type headache; MSNA: muscle sympathetic nerve activity; LBP: low back pain.