As you may be aware the planned date for review of the above guidance is early 2009, pending the results of on-going trials. At this point NICE decides whether sufficient new evidence has emerged for the Appraisal Committee to undertake an appraisal to update the existing guidance.

The Institute has carried out a search for information relevant to this appraisal, and believes that it is appropriate for the existing guidance to be updated. 

In order to be completely confident that this is appropriate, we are asking   consultees and commentators with an interest in this topic, to inform us of any evidence which would suggest that an earlier review would be beneficial.  We would particularly like to be made aware of timelines around on-going research, etc. which might affect the scheduling of this review should we go ahead with the proposal following this consultation. 

Please note all comments received will be published on the Institute’s website when a decision has been made.

May 2009