Table 2.
GRADE evidence profile
| Quality assessment | Quality of evidence | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome (number of trials) | Limitations | Inconsistency | Indirectness | Imprecision | Publication bias | |
| Reduction in thyroid volume assessed by ultrasound (2) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecision (small sample size) | Undetected | ++Low |
| Improvement in thyroid ultrasound echogenicity, LT4-untreated patients (2) | No serious limitations | Serious inconsistency (conflicting findings) | Serious indirectness (surrogate outcome) | Serious imprecision (small sample size) | Undetected | +Very low |
| Improvement in thyroid ultrasound echogenicity, LT4-treated patients (2) | Serious limitations | Serious inconsistency (conflicting findings) | Serious indirectness (surrogate outcome) | Serious imprecision (small sample size) | Undetected | +Very low |
| Improvement in HRQL, SF-36 (2) | No serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecision (small sample size) | Undetected | +++Moderate |
| Improvement in HRQL, other instruments (3) | Serious limitations (unclear blinding) | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecision (small sample size) | Undetected | ++Low |
| Change in thyroid function (2)a | No serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecision (small sample size) | Undetected | +++Moderate |
| TSH at 3 months (4) | No serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | Serious indirectness (surrogate outcome) | Serious imprecision (overall CI across 0) | Undetected | ++Low |
| TSH at 6 months (5) | No serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | Serious indirectness (surrogate outcome) | Serious imprecision (overall CI across 0) | Undetected | ++Low |
| TSH at 12 months (2) | No serious limitations | Serious inconsistency (heterogeneity) | Serious indirectness (surrogate outcome) | Serious imprecision (overall CI across 0) | Undetected | +Very low |
| Adverse effects (4) | No serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecision (small sample size) | Undetected | +++Moderate |
a Defined as the development of hypothyroidism during the course of a trial