Clinical efficacy of extracranial-intracranial bypass for the treatment of adult patients with moyamoya disease: A protocol of systematic review of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a major health concern associated with blocked arteries at the base of the brain. The aim of this study will synthesize the current evidence of the efficacy and safety of extracranial-intracranial bypass (EIB) for the treatment of adult patients with MMD. METHODS: A systematically and comprehensively literature search will be performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, CINAHL, AMED, CBM, and CNKI to identify relevant randomized controlled trails (RCTs) investigating the efficacy and safety of EIB for treating MMD. We will search all above electronic databases from their inception to the July 30, 2019. Two review authors will independently perform study selection, data extraction, and conduct risk of bias evaluation using Cochrane risk of bias tool. We will also explore heterogeneity across studies. RevMan 5.3 software will be applied for statistical analysis performance. RESULTS: This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of EIB for the treatment of adult patients with MMD. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide latest evidence of the efficacy and safety of EIB for MMD. DISSEMINATION AND ETHICS: This study is based on published studies, thus, no ethical consideration is needed. The results of this study are expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals or will be presented on conference meeting. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42019155839.