Table 7c.
Evaluation of study design and execution in 5 studies on diagnostic accuracy of sonography as confirmatory test for carpal tunnel syndrome using QUADAS guidelines 11
| Spectrum bias† | Selection criteria | Disease progression bias†† | Clinical review bias | Indeterm.‡ results explained | Withdrawals explained††† | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kwon et al. 15 | N | Y | U | Y | Y | Y |
| Pastare et al. 16 | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Altinok et al. 17 | N | Y | U | Y | Y | Y |
| Kele et al. 18 | N | Y | U | Y | Y | Y |
| El Mediany et al. 19 | N | Y | U | Y | Y | Y |
Y: yes (followed guideline)
N: no (did not follow guideline)
U: unclear (insufficient information to determine if guideline was followed)
Spectrum bias in all studies is due to the case-control design. The recommended study design is a prospective blinded comparison of the diagnostic test and reference standard in consecutive patients 23
“U” in this column indicates that the interval between the diagnostic test and reference standard test was unclear. The interval must be short enough to be reasonably sure that the diagnostic test and reference standard detect the same condition
Abbreviation for indeterminate
“U” in this column indicates that withdrawals from the study were not analyzed for characteristics.