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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jan 22.
Published in final edited form as: Plast Reconstr Surg. 2012 Aug;130(2):282–292. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e3182589be1

Table 1.

American Society of Plastic Surgeons Evidence Rating Scale for Therapy

Level of
Evidence		 Qualifying Studies
I High-quality, multicenter or single-center randomized controlled trial with adequate power; or systematic review of these studies.
II Lesser quality, randomized controlled trial; prospective cohort study; or systematic review of these studies.
III Retrospective comparative study; case-control study; or systematic review of these studies
IV Case series
V Expert opinion; case report or clinical example; or evidence based on physiology, bench research, or “first principles”

Reproduced with permission from Haase SC, Chung KC. An Evidence-Based Approach to Treating Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Arthritis. Plast Reconstr Surg 127(2):918-25 2011.