Intrathecal baclofen for severe spasticity: a meta-analysis

CRD COMMENTARY: The research question, and most of the selection criteria for the primary studies, were clearly reported. However, the criteria for study design were less clear. Some details of the primary studies were tabulated. Expanding the literature search through the use of different databases, additional search terms, and handsearches of relevant journals, may have resulted in additional material being available for the review. The authors state that they did not assess study quality, but it would have been useful to have done so. Pooling data across studies with differing methodologies may not produce reliable summary estimates. The authors could have expressed a little more caution in their conclusions, given the fact that many of the included studies were uncontrolled evaluations with a small sample size (14 of the 27 studies recruited 10 patients or less).