Publications

  • Balk, Ethan
    2018

    We aimed to systematically review the literature on apical pelvic organ prolapse surgery with uterine preservation compared with prolapse surgeries including hysterectomy and provide evidence-based guidelines.

  • Balk, Ethan
    2018

    KDIGO recently updated its clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The management of HCV in patients with CKD has dramatically shifted over the past 10 years with the development of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents and subsequent demonstration of their efficacy in CKD populations. The opportunity to cure HCV with DAA treatment has impacted all aspects of the KDIGO guideline on HCV in CKD including: (a) HCV diagnosis in CKD populations; (b) HCV treatment in CKD populations; (c) preventing HCV transmission in HD units; (d) management of HCV before and after kidney transplantation; and (e) management of HCV-associated glomerular disease. This review summarizes and discusses the major recommendations, along with the implication of the guideline on clinical practice.

  • Balk, Ethan
    2018

    KDIGO recently updated its clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The management of HCV in patients with CKD has dramatically shifted over the past 10 years with the development of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents and subsequent demonstration of their efficacy in CKD populations. The opportunity to cure HCV with DAA treatment has impacted all aspects of the KDIGO guideline on HCV in CKD including: (a) HCV diagnosis in CKD populations; (b) HCV treatment in CKD populations; (c) preventing HCV transmission in HD units; (d) management of HCV before and after kidney transplantation; and (e) management of HCV-associated glomerular disease. This review summarizes and discusses the major recommendations, along with the implication of the guideline on clinical practice.

  • Balk, Ethan
    2018

    The use of imprecise and inaccurate terms leads to confusion amongst anatomists and medical professionals. We sought to create recommended standardized terminology to describe anatomic structures of the anterior female pelvis based on a structured review of published literature and selected text books.

  • Balk, Ethan
    2018

    About 17 percent of adult women have had urinary incontinence (UI), classified as stress, urgency, or mixed. Stress UI is associated with an inability to retain urine with activities that increase intraabdominal pressure. Urgency UI is associated with the sudden, compelling urge to void. Mixed UI occurs when both are present. We updated the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2012 systematic review with new literature searches in MEDLINE®, the Cochrane Central Trials Registry, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Embase® from 2011 through December 4, 2017. We included UI outcomes (cure, improvement, satisfaction), quality of life, and adverse events. For UI outcomes, we conducted network meta-analyses, combining direct and indirect comparisons across studies. Quality of life and adverse event outcomes are narratively described.

  • Balk, Ethan
    2018

    Lower limb prosthesis (LLP) candidates are a heterogeneous group. Many LLP options exist. How to best match an amputee with an LLP is unclear. Optimal selection of devices should be guided by evidence on which amputees would do best with which LLP component or configuration, and which evaluation instruments are valid and reliable in this population. We addressed questions pertaining to: assessing validity, reliability, and related psychometric properties for assessment techniques, predictor tools, and outcome measures in lower limb amputees; determining which patient and other characteristics may predict which LLP configuration or component would result in better clinical and patient-centered outcomes for different lower limb amputees (i.e., heterogeneity of treatment effect); determining whether patient expectations align with outcomes; evaluating whether patients are satisfied with the process of obtaining their LLPs; and describing long-term use of LLPs. The review does not evaluate overall comparative effectiveness among LLP components, nor does it include assessment of biomechanical outcomes. We searched six databases and other sources through October 2017 for eligible studies.

  • Balk, Ethan
    2018

    Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has adverse liver, kidney, and cardiovascular consequences in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), including those on dialysis therapy and in those with a kidney transplant. Since the publication of the original Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) HCV Guideline in 2008, major advances in HCV management, particularly with the advent of direct-acting antiviral therapies, have now made the cure of HCV possible in CKD patients. In addition, diagnostic techniques have evolved to enable the noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Therefore, the Work Group undertook a comprehensive review and update of the KDIGO HCV in CKD Guideline. This Executive Summary highlights key aspects of the guideline recommendations.

  • Balk, Ethan
    2018

    Individual patients with the same condition may respond differently to similar treatments. Our aim is to summarise the reporting of person-level heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTE) in multiperson N-of-1 studies and to examine the evidence for person-level HTE through reanalysis.

  • Balk, Ethan
    2018

    The original Electronic Supplementary Material file 3 contained an erroneous reference for Mali. A link to the corrected file is provided here.