Review Article

A Critical Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Acupuncture for Female Stress Urinary Incontinence

Table 8

Summary of evidence.

Author, year (country)OutcomesStudies (participants, intervention group/control group)Relative effect (95% CI)Heterogeneity value

Na Yang, 2021 (China) [18]Effective rate7 (523, 264/259)OR = 5.52 (3.13, 9.73)I2 = 0%
1-hour pad test5 (417, 210/207)SMD = −2.67 (−4.05, −1.29)I2 = 96%
ICIQ-SF score4 (366, 183/183)MD = −3.46, (−3.69, −3.22)I2 = 87%
Xiuhua Lai, 2020 (China) [19]Effective rate13 (1,333, 667/666)OR = 5.64 (4.19, 7.59)I2 = 22%
ICIQ-SF score6 (763, 381/382)SMD = −0.61 (−0.74, −0.48)I2 = 80%
1-hour pad test5 (900, 450/450)MD = −4.14 (−4.96, −3.33)I2 = 78%
Yajing Zhong, 2020 (China) [20]Effective rate7 (1,010, 503/507)RR = 2.03 (1.40, 2.95)I2 = 89%
1-hour pad test9 (1,157, 578/579)MD = 3.33 (0.89, 5.77)I2 = 98%
ICIQ-SF score9 (1,157, 578/579)MD = 3.14 (2.42, 3.85)I2 = 63%
72-hour incontinence episodes3 (654, 327/327)MD = 1.17 (0.56, 1.78)I2 = 0%
Follow-up of the effective rate2 (584, 292/292)MD = 2.10 (1.28, 2.92)I2 = 0%
Follow-up of the ICIQ-SF score3 (644, 322/322)MD = 2.89 (1.96, 3.82)I2 = 54%
Follow-up of the 72-hour incontinence episodes2 (584, 292/292)MD = 2.10 (1.28, 2.92)I2 = 0%
Chen, et al. 2018 (China) [21]Effective rate (acupuncture and RT)8 (558, 281/277)RR = 1.33 (1.22, 1.46)I2 = 0%
Effective rate (acupuncture and CM)3 (220, 110/110)RR = 2.15 (1.64, 2.83)I2 = 0%
ICIQ-SF score (acupuncture and RT)5 (323, 162/161)MD = −1.29 (−2.88, 0.31)I2 = 80%
Chen, 2020 (China) [22]Effective rate7 (577, 289/287)OR = 4.10 (1.85, 9.10)I2 = 62%
Ma, et al. 2021 (China) [23]Effective rate13 (812, 408/404)OR = 6.04 (3.84, 9.49)I2 = 0%
ICIQ-SF score6 (377, 189/188)MD = −3.03 (−4.17, −1.90)I2 = 80%
1-hour pad test9 (504, 252/252)MD = −2.95 (−3.86, −2.04)I2 = 88%
24-hour urination diary9 (143, 71/72)MD = −0.97 (−1.61, −0.33)I2 = 65%
Wang, et al. 2014 (China) [24]Effective rate (acupuncture and RT)5 (461, 231/230)OR = 4.00 (2.51, 6.39)I2 = 0%
Effective rate (acupuncture and CM)3 (220, 110/110)OR = 9.14 (4.77, 17.53)I2 = 47%
Effective rate (acupuncture and placebo)2 (198, 99/99)OR = 3.05 (1.59, 5.84)I2 = 0%
Zhang and Xie 2016 (China) [25]Effective rate10 (785, 394/391)OR = 4.27 (2.42, 7.56)I2 = 50%
ICIQ-SF score4 (257, 129/128)SMD = −0.41 (−1.00, 0.18)I2 = 82%
VAS2 (206, 103/103)SMD = −2.16 (−2.51, −1.81)I2 = 0%

Note: The 95% confidence interval does not cross the invalid line.