title: A meta-analysis of randomized trials of fish oil in prevention of restenosis following coronary angioplasty.
abstract: The efficacy of fish oil in decreasing restenosis following percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) remains controversial despite seven published reports of randomized trials involving 951 patients. We performed a meta-analysis to determine whether these trials, viewed in aggregate, demonstrate a significant benefit. We evaluated rates of restenosis two to 12 months after PTCA and calculated an estimate of the overall effect and 95% confidence interval (CI). The typical odds ratio (treatment versus control) was 0.71 (95% CI 0.54, 0.94), P = 0.016 (two-tailed). The data show a strong and highly significant (P less than .0001) relationship between daily fish oil dose and gastrointestinal side effects. While compatible with a small to moderate benefit of fish oil on rates of restenosis, these results require confirmation in a randomized clinical trial large enough to distinguish reliably between a clinically meaningful benefit and a null result.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, New Hampshire.
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Malenka
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Olmstead
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hennekens
mesh_terms: D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D005395:Fish Oils