TY - JOUR
AU - König, Jochem
AB - Background: In network meta-analysis, several alternative treatments can be compared by pooling the evidence of all randomised comparisons made in different studies. Incorporated indirect conclusions require a consistent network of treatment effects. An assessment of this assumption and of the influence of deviations is fundamental for the validity evaluation. Methods: We show that network estimates for single pairwise treatment comparisons can be approximated by the evidence of a subnet that is decomposable into independent paths. Path-based estimates and the estimate of the residual evidence can be used with their contribution to the network estimate to set up a forest plot for the consistency assessment. Using a network meta-analysis of twelve antidepressants and controlled perturbations in the real and constructed consistent data, we discuss the consistency assessment by the independent path decomposition in contrast to an approach using a recently presented graphical tool, the net heat plot. In addition, we define influence functions that describe how changes in study effects are translated into network estimates. Results: While the consistency assessment by the net heat plot comprises all network estimates, an independent path decomposition and visualisation in a forest plot is tailored to one specific treatment comparison. It allows for the 
TI - Visualizing inconsistency in network meta-analysis by independent path decomposition
JF - BMC Medical Research Methodology
DO - 10.1186/1471-2288-14-131
DA - 2014-12-16
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/visualizing-inconsistency-in-network-meta-analysis-by-independent-path-AWERgfxTUO
SP - 1
EP - 12
VL - 14
IS - 1
DP - DeepDyve
ER -