Efficacy and Safety of Ultrasound-Guided Radiofrequency Treatment for Chronic Pain in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Table 5
The potential sources of heterogeneity on pain intensity by subgroup analysis.
Subgroup
Study number
Mean difference (95% CI)
I2
value
Study design
RCT
2
−3.926 (−4.296 to −3.557)
79.334
0.003
Retrospective
2
−4.959 (−5.440 to −4.447)
92.529
Prospective
3
−3.853 (−5.241 to −2.464)
97.870
Treatment target
IA
2
−3.626 (−3.900 to −3.352)
63.051
<0.001
GN
4
−4.851 (−5.350 to −4.352)
94.158
SN
1
−2.700 (−3.074 to −2.326)
0
Diagnosis nerve block (DNB)
DNB
2
−4.093 (−5.309 to −2.876)
98.071
0.850
No DNB
5
−4.237 (−5.104 to −3.370)
98.272
Follow-up time (week)
4
7
−4.378 (−5.149 to −3.607)
97.484
0.820
12
3
−4.115 (−5.093 to −3.138)
96.229
24
3
−4.172 (−4.728 to −3.617)
82.941
IA: intra-articular; GN: genicular nerve; and SN: sciatic nerve.
