Acupuncture for the postcholecystectomy syndrome: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Postcholecystectomy syndrome (PCS) is a term used to describe the persistence of biliary colic or right upper quadrant abdominal pain with a variety of postoperative gastrointestinal symptoms. Acupuncture and related treatments have shown clinical effects for PCS in many studies. But the systematic reviews and meta-analyses for them are lacking. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on the treatment of PCS. METHODS: We will search 8 electronic databases, including the Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and 4 Chinese databases (CBM, Wanfang, VIP, and CNKI databases), and additional sources (WHO ICTRP, ChiCTR, Clinical Trials, Grey Literature Database), for potentially eligible studies. Literature retrieval, screening, and data extraction will be conducted by 2 researchers independently. In case of disagreement, a 3rd party shall be consulted to assist judgment. We will use RevmanV.5.3 to perform a fixed effect meta-analysis on the data of clinical homogeneity studies, and evidence's level will be assessed through the method for GRADE. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis will put a high-quality synthesis of the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment in PCS. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this systematic review will provide evidence to assess acupuncture therapy is an efficacy and safe intervention to treat and control PCS. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Since this article does not involve patients’ private data, no ethical approval is required. The agreement will be disseminated by peer-reviewed journals or conference reports. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD4201929287.