title: Efficacy of kidney-tonifying traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions in hypoplastic uterus treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review and evaluate the efficacy of kidney-tonifying traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions (KT-TCMP) in hypoplastic uterus (HU) treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), WANFANG and VIP databases until 14 December 2013 independently with two investigators. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) involving KT-TCMP as a combined or monotherapy in the treatment of HU were reviewed and analyzed. Meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager (version 5.2).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine RCT of 1745 patients were eligible for this review and meta-analysis, of which eight RCT described the primary outcome of clinical efficacy and three RCT drew the secondary outcome of uterine size. Meta-analyzed 'recovery' clinical efficacy of KT-TCMP in seven RCT was conducted which considered diethylstilbestrol therapy alone as control, as well as three RCT that meta-analyzed the effect of KT-TCMP on uterine diameter enlargement. As a result, KT-TCMP therapy had a significantly improved difference in increasing 'recovery' clinical efficacy (risk ratio, 2.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.90-2.89) and enlarging the uterine diameter (standardized mean difference, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.39-1.84). One study reported adverse reactions as an important outcome and found it was safe during KT-TCMP therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The therapy of applying KT-TCMP as a combined or monotherapy in the treatment of HU may be more efficacious. However, these RCT were of moderate methodological quality and small sample size; thus, the results should be confirmed with more rigorously controlled further studies.
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Wuxi No. 9 People's Hospital, Soochow University and Wuxi Hand Surgery Hospital, Wuxi, China.
authors: Xichuang
authors: X
authors: Chen
authors: Yuan
authors: Y
authors: Hong
authors: Panpan
authors: P
authors: Zheng
authors: Yaping
authors: Y
authors: Qin
authors: Xiaoyan
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: Jinhua
authors: J
authors: Feng
authors: Jianlin
authors: J
authors: Ye
authors: Huizhu
authors: H
authors: Song
authors: Xiaohong
authors: X
authors: You
mesh_terms: D012734:Disorders of Sex Development / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014591:Uterine Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014599:Uterus / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal
keywords: herb; hypoplastic uterus; infantile uterus; kidney-tonifying traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions; meta-analysis; review