Traditional Chinese Medicine for carotid atherosclerosis:a scoping review of clinical randomized controlled trial study
Wang Rumeng
Fu Guojing
Wu Yanyan
Zheng Liying
Han Senfu
Xue Mei
Li Lizhi
Abstract：Objective This study used a combination of charts and evidence maps to systematically review and summarize clinical randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of Chinese medicine for the treatment of carotid atherosclerosis(CAS)and to understand the current state of research in this field.Methods Computer searches were conducted to retrieve PubMed,EMbase,Cochrane,Web of Science,China Knowledge Network(CNKI),Wan-fang,VIP,and China Biomedical Literature Service(CBM)databases,and the search time limit was from the establishment of each database to September 2022.Clinical RCTs of CAS treated with TCM were included,and the annual publication trends,treatment protocols,and outcome indicators of clinical studies were summarized and analyzed.Results A total of 200 clinical RCTs were included,with a fluctuating increase in the number of publications since 2005,a study sample size mostly focused on 60～100 cases,TCM interventions for CAS mostly based on Chinese herbal tonics or proprietary Chinese medicines,and more attention to study outcome indicators including carotid intra-medial membrane thickness,plaque area,lipid level,TCM evidence score,and safety outcome indicators.Conclusion Chinese medicine has certain characteristics and advantages in the treatment of CAS,but the quality science of RCTs is generally not of high quality,and multicenter,large-sample randomized double-blind controlled clinical trials are needed in the future to further confirm its efficacy and safety.
Keywords：Carotid atherosclerosisChinese medicineRandomized controlled trialGeneralized evaluation
Publication Date：2023-12-28
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 1295-1299 )