Approaches for the treatment of perforated peptic ulcers: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Purpose: This network meta-analysis (NMA) aims to evaluate surgical and alternative treatment strategies for perforated peptic ulcers (PPU) with respect to mortality and other clinically relevant outcomes.

Methods: An NMA was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to assess treatment approaches for PPU. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) were identified through systematic searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, and ICTRP databases. Outcomes were analyzed using standardized mean differences (SMDs) for continuous data and odds ratios (ORs) for binary data, both presented with 95% confidence intervals (CI) in a network meta-analysis framework.

Results: Sixteen studies comprising 1,259 patients were included in this NMA. The laparoscopic approach demonstrated significantly reduced mortality (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.17-0.75, p = 0.0065) and postoperative complications, including wound infections (OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.08-0.27, p < 0.0001) and ileus (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.18-0.59), compared to the open surgical approach.

Conclusions: This NMA, particularly the pairwise analysis, confirms the significant advantages of laparoscopic over open surgery, reinforcing its status as the gold standard for PPU. The potential benefits of alternative approaches, are inconclusive due to insufficient evidence.