Cochrane Review Group

ENT

76 systematic reviews in ENT ask 806 questions. 36.4% have no studies to answer them, 30.3% rest on very low certainty evidence and 11.5% reach moderate or high certainty.

Reviews

Questions

806

current versions

No studies

36.4%

Moderate or high

11.5%

No studies 293 · 36.4%Ungraded 6 · 0.7%Very low 244 · 30.3%Low 170 · 21.1%Moderate 85 · 10.5%High 8 · 1%

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.

Search questions in ENT

Thinnest evidence

All no studies and very low questions

Question	Effect	Evidence	Status / GRADE
Betahistine vs placebo/no treatment Improvement in vertigo frequency · Ménière’s disease Systemic pharmacological interventions for Ménière’s disease (2023) · Cochrane	RR 1.5 [0.98, 2.29]	1 study · 70 participants	Very low
Betahistine vs placebo/no treatment Improvement in vertigo frequency · Ménière’s disease Systemic pharmacological interventions for Ménière’s disease (2023) · Cochrane	RR 1.11 [0.93, 1.32]	1 study · 62 participants	Very low
Betahistine vs placebo/no treatment Vertigo global score · Ménière’s disease Systemic pharmacological interventions for Ménière’s disease (2023) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	1 study · 34 participants	Very low
Betahistine vs placebo/no treatment Change in vertigo frequency · Ménière’s disease Systemic pharmacological interventions for Ménière’s disease (2023) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	2 studies · 117 participants	Very low
Betahistine vs placebo/no treatment Change in vertigo frequency · Ménière’s disease Systemic pharmacological interventions for Ménière’s disease (2023) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	1 study · 214 participants	Very low
Betahistine vs placebo/no treatment Serious adverse events · Ménière’s disease Systemic pharmacological interventions for Ménière’s disease (2023) · Cochrane	RR 1.2 [0.63, 2.29]	1 study · 220 participants	Very low
Diuretic vs placebo/no treatment Improvement in vertigo frequency · Ménière’s disease Systemic pharmacological interventions for Ménière’s disease (2023) · Cochrane	RR 1.69 [1.13, 2.53]	1 study · 70 participants	Very low
Diuretic vs placebo/no treatment Change in vertigo frequency · Ménière’s disease Systemic pharmacological interventions for Ménière’s disease (2023) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	1 study · 220 participants	Very low
Beta‐blockers vs placebo Improvement in vertigo · people with vestibular migraine Pharmacological interventions for prophylaxis of vestibular migraine (2023) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	NR	No studies
Beta‐blockers vs placebo Serious adverse events · people with vestibular migraine Pharmacological interventions for prophylaxis of vestibular migraine (2023) · Cochrane	RR 0.63 [0.24, 1.67]	1 study · 121 participants	Very low
Calcium channel blockers vs no intervention Improvement in vertigo severity · people with vestibular migraine Pharmacological interventions for prophylaxis of vestibular migraine (2023) · Cochrane	RR 1.45 [1.01, 2.07]	1 study · 48 participants	Very low
Calcium channel blockers vs no intervention Improvement in vertigo frequency · people with vestibular migraine Pharmacological interventions for prophylaxis of vestibular migraine (2023) · Cochrane	RR 1.65 [0.8, 3.41]	1 study · 23 participants	Very low

Reviews 76

Sound therapy (using amplification devices and/or sound generators) for tinnitus

Sereda, M, Xia, J, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2018

ENT

Thinnest evidence

Reviews 76

Sound therapy (using amplification devices and/or sound generators) for tinnitus

Coblation versus other surgical techniques for tonsillectomy

Bilateral versus unilateral hearing aids for bilateral hearing impairment in adults

Needle aspiration versus incision and drainage for the treatment of peritonsillar abscess

Antibiotics for otitis media with effusion in children

Zinc supplementation for tinnitus

Interventions to improve hearing aid use in adult auditory rehabilitation

Water precautions for prevention of infection in children with ventilation tubes (grommets)

Betahistine for symptoms of vertigo

Minimally invasive surgery versus radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy for small‐volume primary oropharyngeal carcinoma

Therapeutic exercises for affecting post‐treatment swallowing in people treated for advanced‐stage head and neck cancers

Interventions for children with ear discharge occurring at least two weeks following grommet (ventilation tube) insertion

Positive pressure therapy for Ménière's disease or syndrome

Virtual reality training for improving the skills needed for performing surgery of the ear, nose or throat

Capsaicin for non‐allergic rhinitis

Tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy versus non‐surgical management for obstructive sleep‐disordered breathing in children

Tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy versus non‐surgical treatment for chronic/recurrent acute tonsillitis

Surgical versus medical interventions for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Photodynamic therapy for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis

Amplification with hearing aids for patients with tinnitus and co‐existing hearing loss

Oral rinses, mouthwashes and sprays for improving recovery following tonsillectomy

Hyperbaric oxygen for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus

Helminth therapy (worms) for allergic rhinitis

Oral or topical nasal steroids for hearing loss associated with otitis media with effusion in children

Systemic antibiotics for chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps in adults