Introduction: The prevalence of lower limb edema is high among patients with chronic venous disease (CVD). Several clinical studies with various designs have assessed the effect of micronized purified flavonoid fraction (MPFF) on edema. The aim of this work was to provide a comprehensive and accurate evaluation of the reduction in ankle and calf circumference as an indicator of lower limb edema reduction in patients with CVD treated with MPFF by combining studies that use different designs in a single group meta-analysis.
Evidence acquisition: We conducted a systematic literature review in April 2022 based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) criteria to identify prospective studies investigating the effect of oral MPFF treatment 1000 mg/day on ankle and calf circumference in patients with CVD. Studies with population including at least one patient with an ulcer were excluded. All prospective studies irrespectively of design (i.e., interventional and non-interventional studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomized studies, studies without a control or reference treatment) were eligible. The Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched. Endpoints were ankle and calf circumference measurements and their overall mean change from baseline estimated with random-effects meta-analysis methods. The evaluation criterion feeling of swelling was also analyzed as a standardized mean change (SMC) with 95% confidence intervals after combination of quantitative scales.
Evidence synthesis: Among 861 articles identified, eight studies (five RCTs including one placebo-controlled, three non-comparative studies) met the criteria. The overall population consisted of 1635 patients, predominantly female (89% ranging from 64% to 94%) with a mean age of 47 years ranging from 41 to 48 years. Mean reduction in ankle circumference was 6.0 mm (95%CI: 3.6 to 8.4; P<0.001) and 7.0 mm (95%CI: 0.9 to 13.1; P=0.024) after two and at least six months of treatment respectively. The results were similar when considering the study type RCTs and non-RCTs. Mean reduction in calf circumference was 5.7 mm (95%CI: 2.8 to 8.6; P<0.001) and 6.7 mm (95%CI: 5.2 to 8.1; P<0.001), at two months and at the last post-baseline evaluation respectively. Heterogeneity among studies was statistically significant (degree of consistency I2=93.5%; P<0.001 and I2=81.1%, P<0.01 for ankle and calf circumference, respectively). In the three studies reporting the effect on feeling of swelling a significant standardized mean change (SMC) reduction of 2.2 (95%CI: 0.2 to 4.2; P=0.028) on a quantitative scale was observed after two months of treatment with MPFF.
Conclusions: MPFF appeared to be effective in reducing ankle and calf circumference as well as feeling of swelling irrespective of study design. The circumference reduction is present at short and long term, suggesting that benefit occurs early and is maintained overtime. Despite the observed heterogeneity among included studies, this meta-analysis supports the significant therapeutic efficacy of MPFF in reducing lower-limb edema in patients with CVD. The complete video presentation of the work is available online at www.minervamedica.it (Supplementary Digital Material 1: Supplementary Video 1, 5 min, 192 MB).