Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with fibromyalgia: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease characterized by widespread pain. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) effectively relieves pain intensity in patients with fibromyalgia. The frequency and target site of rTMS have significant roles in therapy effectiveness. However, there is disagreement over the best rTMS protocol. Thus, we will conduct a thorough systematic review and network meta-analysis to rank the efficacy of these various rTMS protocols and determine which is most beneficial in lowering pain and enhancing the quality of life. METHODS: Databases PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library will be searched for clinical randomized controlled trials of rTMS in fibromyalgia. The retrieval time is from the inception of the database until October 1, 2022. Following the Cochrane Handbook, 2 reviewers will independently review the literature, extract data, and evaluate the risk of bias of included articles. Pain intensity and quality of daily life are outcome indicators. Stata 17.0 and ADDIS 1.16.8 software will be used for pairwise meta-analysis and network analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of rTMS and the ranking probability of all protocols. The recommended grading assessment, development, and evaluation will be used to assess the overall quality of the evidence. RESULTS: The meta-analysis and probability ranking of the network determined the best TMS protocol for fibromyalgia. CONCLUSION: This study will provide systematic support of evidence-based medicine for TMS in fibromyalgia, integrate the results of direct and indirect comparisons of the efficacy of different rTMS protocol, and provide the best one.