Table 4.
Quality assessment of included studies
| First author* | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Sum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment-related observational studies | |||||||||||||||||||
| Driessen 2008[66] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Fortune 2003[6] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Lecha 2005[68] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Naldi 2008[69] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | na | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Paul 2003[70] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Wahl 2005[71] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | na | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Heiberg 2008[72] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Kristensen 2008[74] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Sparado 1997[78] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Saad 2009[79] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Non-treatment related observational studies | |||||||||||||||||||
| Carrascosa 2006[82] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | na | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | na | na | 11 |
| Colombo 2008[11] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | na | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | na | na | 11 |
| Schmid-ott 2005[83] | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | na | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | na | na | 10 |
| Husted 2007[2] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | na | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | na | na | 13 |
| Kane 2003[93] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | na | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | na | na | 10 |
| Lindqvist 2008[95] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | na | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | na | na | 12 |
*Primary paper for the study or the most recent analysis of the cohort. NA, not applicable