Effectiveness of calcitonin in intermittent claudication treatment of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: a systematic review.
METHODS
Systematic review.


OBJECTIVE
Analyze the level of evidence in the effectiveness of calcitonin on the treatment of neurogenic claudication in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.


BACKGROUND
One of the most disabling features of lumbar spinal stenosis is neurogenic claudication. There have been proposed different drug therapies for it. The recommendation for calcitonin use in these patients has been sustained on autocontrolled clinical trial (Streifler et al, Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1989;52:543-4), which only included 6 patients.


METHODS
We performed a search on electronic databases that included Medline and Embase; we recovered 10 original articles, of which only 4 fulfilled the RCT criteria. These articles were reviewed independent and blinded way by 6 previously capacitated reviewers to extract data and score a quality of them by the criteria of Cochrane Handbook (1996) with maximum score of 1.00 and minimum score of 0.33.


RESULTS
Score quality vary in the 4 articles: Porter and Millar, Spine 1988;13:1061-4 (score, 0.68), Eskola et al, Calcif Tissue Int 1992;50:400-3 (score, 0.88), Podichetty et al, Spine 2004;29:2343-9 (score, 0.88), and Tafazal et al, Eur Spine J 2007;16:207-12 (score, 0.92). Due to the great heterogenicity observed (sample sizes, selection criteria, doses, frequency, and duration of calcitonin, and outcome measurements), we were unable to perform a meta-analysis. Only one of these studies (Porter and Millar, Spine 1988;13:1061-4; score, 0.68) found favorable results for the use of calcitonin compared with placebo; of the 3 remaining trials none found significative evidence between drug therapy and placebo.


CONCLUSIONS
The present data suggest that calcitonin administration in the treatment for neurogenic claudication has no benefit in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.
Coronado-Zarco
Roberto
R
Department of Spinal Rehabilitation, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación (National Institute for Rehabilitation) Mexico City, Mexico. rcoronado@inr.gob.mx
Cruz-Medina
Eva
E
Arellano-Hernández
Aurelia
A
Chavez-Arias
Daniel
D
León-Hernández
Saúl Renan
SR
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011128:Polyradiculopathy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011859:Radiography; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D002116:Calcitonin