Interventions for Menière's disease: protocol for an umbrella systematic review and a network meta-analysis

The large number of treatment modalities for patients diagnosed with Menière's disease (MD) complicates the selection of the best available treatment as the comparative efficacy of these interventions is not clear. We aim to identify the treatment or treatments with the highest efficacy of current pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for MD.

We will identify all available systematic reviews on the treatment of MD. An online database search will be conducted in association with the UK Cochrane Centre, particularly the Ear, Nose and Throat Group. We will screen the systematic reviews for eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to execute a network meta-analysis. In addition, online databases will be checked for eligible RCTs on treatments that were published after the latest systematic search was conducted. The characteristics of each RCT will be summarised, including the general design, the participants, the interventions, the outcome measurements, the duration of therapy and adverse events. The risk of bias will be assessed by means of the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. The included studies will be assessed for methodological and statistical heterogeneity; the latter will be quantified by means of the I(2) statistic. The primary outcome will be the efficacy of treatment in terms of control of vertigo attacks. Secondary outcome measures will be the loss or improvement of hearing, severity of vertigo attacks and tinnitus, perception of aural fullness, quality of life, and the incidence of adverse events and complications.

Formal ethical approval is not required as primary data will not be collected. The review will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

CRD42015024243.