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Background: Ginkgo biloba L. preparations (GBLPs) are a class of Chinese herbal medicine used in the adjuvant treatment of ischemic stroke (IS). Recently, several systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) of ginkgo biloba L. preparations for ischemic stroke have been published.
Objective: This overview aims to assess the quality of related SRs and MAs.
Search strategy: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese Biological Medicine, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and Chinese Science and Technology Journals databases were searched from their inception to December 31, 2022.
Inclusion criteria: SRs and MAs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that explored the efficacy of ginkgo biloba L. preparations for patients with IS were included.
Data extraction and analysis: Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the methodological quality, risk of bias (ROB), reporting quality, and credibility of evidence of the included SRs and MAs using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2), Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS), the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA), and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), respectively. Additionally, descriptive analysis and data synthesis were conducted.
Results: Twenty-nine SRs/MAs involving 119 outcomes were included in this review. The overall methodological quality of all SRs/MAs was critically low based on AMSTAR 2, and 28 had a high ROB based on the ROBIS. According to the PRISMA statement, the reporting items of the included SRs/MAs are relatively complete. The results based on GRADE showed that of the 119 outcomes, 8 were rated as moderate quality, 24 as low quality, and 87 as very low quality. Based on the data synthesis, ginkgo biloba L. preparations used in conjunction with conventional treatment were superior to conventional treatment alone for decreasing neurological function scores.
Conclusion: ginkgo biloba L. preparations can be considered a beneficial supplemental therapy for ischemic stroke. However, because of the low quality of the existing evidence, high-quality RCTs and SRs/MAs are warranted to further evaluate the benefits of ginkgo biloba L. preparations for treating ischemic stroke.
Reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38519277/
