Placebo-controlled efficacy of 5-HT3 antagonists for postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis in supratentorial craniotomies: A systematic review and comparative meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are common and distressing complications following neurosurgical procedures, affecting up to 73 % of patients undergoing craniotomy. Therefore, we aimed to assess the placebo-controlled efficacy of 5-HT3 antagonists to prevent PONV following supratentorial craniotomies. We searched Medline, Web of Science, and Embase databases following PRISMA guidelines for RCTs comparing the outcomes of prophylactic use of 5-HT3 antagonists with placebo to prevent PONV following supratentorial craniotomy. We pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals with a random-effects model. I2 statistics was used to assess heterogeneity. Five RCTs, comprising 347 patients, of which 145 received a placebo, were included. The analysis identified a lower likelihood of early postoperative vomiting in 5-HT3 antagonists group (OR=0.47; 95 % CI: 0.24–0.91, p