Pitfalls of Prospective Non Randomized Studies: Why Study Results Mislead

We would like to congratulate Dr. Mohammadipour and his colleagues for their work in expanding the literature on the role of preoperative hormone stimulation (PHS) in hypospadias repair. The title chosen by the authors questions whether PHS is a facilitator or a confounder for improving hypospadias repair outcomes[1]. Facilitator in the context of hypospadias repair implies that PHS would improve (be beneficial to) surgical outcomes. Being a confounder means that a variable (PHS) is associated with both the exposure (hypospadias) and the outcome (fistula formation), and if not adjusted will lead to spurious results.
Source: Journal of Pediatric Urology - Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research