Surgical procedures are often introduced into practice withoutrigorous evaluation. Moreover, clinical trials of surgery haveseldom included placebo surgery as a control, owing to ethicalconcerns. In 1959, the Journal published the results of a placebo-controlledtrial of ligation of the internal thoracic artery for the treatmentof angina.1 In this issue of the Journal, Moseley et al. reporton a placebo-controlled trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritisof the knee.2 In both studies, the surgical interventions wereno more effective than placebo operations. A major differencebetween the use of placebo surgery 43 years ago and its use. . . [Full Text of this Article]
The Ethics of Clinical Research
Placebo Surgery
Minimizing Risks
Justifying Risks
Informed Consent
Conclusions
Related Letters:
Arthroscopic Surgery for Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Jackson R. W., Ewing W., Ewing J. W., Chambers K. G., Schulzer M., Blacher R. S., Morse L. J., Wray N. P., Moseley J. B., O'Malley K., Horng S., Miller F. G.
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N Engl J Med 2002;
347:1717-1719, Nov 21, 2002.
Correspondence
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