Cochrane · systematic review · CD008973
Topical corticosteroids for treating phimosis in boys
Moreno, G, Ramirez, C, Corbalán, J, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2024 · Cochrane Library
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
5
current version
GRADE rated
5
No studies
0
Included studies
NR
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 1 · 20%Low 4 · 80%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Current version onlyTopical corticosteroids compared to placebo or no treatment for treating phimosis in boys
Population: boys up to 18 years old with phimosis
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Complete resolution of phimosis Topical corticosteroids vs placebo or no treatment | RR 2.73 [1.79, 4.16] | 10 studies · 834 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Partial resolution of phimosis Topical corticosteroids vs placebo or no treatment | RR 1.68 [1.17, 2.4] | 7 studies · 745 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Change in retractability score Topical corticosteroids vs placebo or no treatment | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 177 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Long‐term complete resolution of phimosis Topical corticosteroids vs placebo or no treatment | RR 4.09 [2.8, 5.97] | 2 studies · 280 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Adverse effects (any) Topical corticosteroids vs placebo or no treatment | RR 0.28 [0.03, 2.62] | 11 studies · 1091 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Summary of findings
Population: children 0 to 18 years with phimosis
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Resolution of phimosis (complete or partial) | RR 2.45 [1.84, 3.26] | 12 studies · 1395 participants | Low |
Complete resolution of phimosis 4 to 8 weeks | RR 3.42 [2.08, 5.62] | 8 studies · 858 participants | Low |
Adverse effects (any) | RR 0 [0, 0] | 9 studies · 978 participants | Low |
Re‐stenosis 6 months | RR 1.5 [0.29, 7.73] | 1 study · 30 participants | Very low |