Effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of steroid-osteonecrosis of femoral head: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a common refractory disease in orthopedics. Overdose glucocorticoid application is a common trigger for ONFH. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a treatment for ONFH, has been shown to be effective in treating steroid-induced ONFH (SONFH). However, a systematic review and meta-analysis of them is lacking. We aim to systematically review the effectiveness and safety of TCM in the treatment of SONFH. METHODS: We will search the following databases: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data (since the inception of the databases to the present). In addition, we will look for clinical trial registrations, prospective grey literature, relevant conference papers, and established study reference lists. We will use Review Manager 5.3 software for meta-analysis and heterogeneity assessment. We will evaluate the quality of the evidence using a hierarchy of recommendation assessment, development, and evaluation. RESULTS: This study will systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of TCM in the treatment of SONFH. CONCLUSION: This systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TCM in the treatment of SONFH will provide updated evidence for clinical application. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202170015.