2022, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (32): 5196-5200

A Meta-analysis of repetitive transcranial magnetic therapy in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

Song Ge1, Liu Gang2, Jiang Liang2, Han Jiming1, Zhang Guiqing2   

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can effectively relieve the psychological symptoms of patients with stroke, spinal cord injury, and chronic pain. This paper systematically evaluates the therapeutic effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
METHODS: Self-controlled and randomized controlled trials were searched in Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, WanFang, VIP, and CNKI databases for the therapeutic effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on PTSD patients. The search period was from the inception date to December 2021. Two researchers trained in meta-analysis were responsible for evaluating the quality of screening articles and extracting relevant data. Meta-analysis was performed on the extracted data by RevMan software. The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale score was used to measure the severity of symptoms and injury, and the PTSD Checklist was used to evaluate the improvement of PTSD symptoms.
RESULTS: Eight documents involving 339 PTSD patients were included. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with conventional treatments, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation significantly improved the severity and symptoms of PTSD [standardized mean difference (SMD)=-5.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) (-5.76, -4.41), P < 0.001; mean difference (MD)=-6.52, 95% CI (-9.74, -3.30), P < 0.001]. The severity and symptoms of PTSD patients were significantly improved after intervention compared with the baseline data [MD=18.22, 95% CI (10.84, 25.60), P < 0.001; MD=17.08, 95% CI (16.30, 17.86), P < 0.001]. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation had no significant advantage over low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in improving the severity of PTSD [MD=3.72, 95%CI (-4.55, 11.99), P=0.38], but had an advantage in the relief of PTSD symptoms [MD=6.15, 95% CI (0.15, 12.15), P=0.04].
CONCLUSION: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can effectively improve the severity and symptoms of PTSD patients.
Key words: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, post-traumatic stress disorder, severity, improvement effect, Meta-analysis