Comparative effectiveness of various orbital decompression techniques in treating thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: In thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), orbital decompression is a critical surgical approach for functional and aesthetic reasons. Meanwhile, the presence of surgical complications, especially the new onset of primary gaze diplopia, also influences postoperative patient satisfaction. This research investigates the effectiveness and potential risks associated with different orbital decompression in patients with TAO.

Methods: Systematic searches were conducted to identify pertinent studies from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases. The search was completed on October 11, 2023. And after retrieval, the publication dates of the articles included in the analysis ranged from January 1, 2008, to February 22, 2023. The overall postoperative outcomes were determined using random-effects meta-analyses with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). A network meta-analysis was performed to integrate both direct and indirect evidence. The primary outcomes were defined as the status of exophthalmos and the new onset of primary gaze diplopia.

Results: From 1,538 identified records, 87 studies were selected, encompassing 5102 patients and 8,779 procedures. The studies reported varying degrees of exophthalmos reduction based on different surgical techniques: -3.46 mm (95% CI -3.76 to -3.15 mm) for fat removal orbital decompression, -4.02 mm (95% CI -5.14 to -2.89 mm) for the medial wall technique, -3.89 mm (95% CI -4.22 to -3.55 mm) for the lateral wall technique, -5.23 mm (95% CI -5.69 to -4.77 mm) for the balanced wall technique, -3.91 mm (95% CI -4.37 to -3.46 mm) for the infero-medial wall technique, and - 5.80 mm (95% CI -6.47 to -5.13 mm) for the three-wall technique. The incidence of new-onset primary gaze diplopia was reported in 31 studies involving 214 out of 2001 patients, resulting in a weighted proportion of 0.11 (95% CI 0.06-0.14). Notably, the lowest rates were associated with the lateral approach and fat removal orbital decompression, with pooled proportion (95% CI) rates of 3% (1-6) and 3% (2-4), respectively, suggesting that these two techniques may be more effective in preventing the occurrence of this complication during the postoperative period.

Conclusions: This meta-analysis establishes that orbital decompression is a beneficial and safe surgical approach. While this study enhances the evidence hierarchy for orbital decompression in treating TAO, it requires further validation through larger, prospective, and randomized studies with long-term follow-up periods.