(met‵ă-ă-nal'ĭ-sĭs )

The combination of data from several research studies to gain a better overview of a topic than what is available in any single investigation. Data obtained from combined studies must be comparable and compatible for a meta-analysis to reach logical conclusions.SYN: pooled analysis.

mixed-treatment m.Network meta-analysis.

network m.A meta-analysis in which the merits of two (or more) interventions that have not been directly compared are interpreted relative to their independent performance against other agents. For example, instead of comparing A to B, a network analysis applies the data obtained from studies of A versus C, and B versus C, and makes inferences about A vs. B. SYN: mixed-treatment meta-analysis.