Table 1.
Risk of bias assessment and categorization of included studies
| Author | Setting/department | No. of patients | Study design (P/R) | Type of cancer | QOL assessment (Y/N) | QOL assessment tools (PR/AC/ST) | Risk of bias (L/M/H/?) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akinci et al3 | Radiology | 40 | R | Various | N | NA | M | |
| Barnett and Rubins43 | Radiology | 29 | R | Various | Y | PR | M | |
| Belfort et al34 | Gynecology | 17 | R | Various | N | NA | M | |
| Bratby et al37 | Radiology | 24 | P, observational | Various | N | NA | M | Patients’ selection. MA – 24, liver cirrhosis – 2 |
| Coupe et al4 | Medical Oncology | 24 | P, longitudinal study | Various | Y | ST | M | |
| Courtney et al5 | Radiology | 34 | P, clinical trial | Various | Y | ST | L | |
| Easson et al10 | Surgical Oncology/Palliative | 61 | P, comparative study | Various | Y | ST | L | Testing various QLQ in a group of patients with MA |
| Fleming et al14 | Gynecologic Oncology | 19 | R | Various | N | NA | M | |
| Ghaffar et al30 | Radiology | 40 | P, longitudinal study | Various | N | NA | L | |
| Gough and Balderson6 | Surgery | 42 | P, clinical trial | Various | Y | AC | M | 17/82 patients conformed to the protocol |
| Gu et al28 | Palliative | 78 | R | Various | Y | PR (symptoms only) | H | Median time of catheter in situ – 13 days, and OS evaluation, presents an issue of risk of bias |
| Harding et al18 | Oncology | 18 | R, feasibility study | Ovarian | N | NA | M | Testing safety and cost-effectiveness of paracentesis |
| Husain et al41 | Palliative/Surgical Oncology | 37 | P, longitudinal study | Various | Y | ST | L | Testing changes in QOL before and after paracentesis |
| Hussain et al36 | Radiology | 13 | R | Various | N | NA | H | Excluded patients with cardiac failure, ischemic heart disease, creatinine >200 mmol/dL |
| Lee et al21 | Geriatric Medicine | 38 | R | Various | N | NA | H | Eight lost to follow-up, patients from geriatric medicine unit only |
| Lungren et al7 | Radiology | 170 | R | Various | N | NA | L | |
| Maleux et al8 | Radiology | 94 | R | Various | N | NA | L | |
| Mercadante et al26 | Palliative | 40 | P, longitudinal study | Various | Y | AC | M | Symptoms rated by a patient on a linear scale from 0 to 3. No other QOL assessment. Complications data presented not precisely |
| Monsky et al29 | Radiology | 14 | P | Various | Y | ST/AC | M | A questionnaire was constructed similar to the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire: a ten-point scale MA – 14, cirrhosis – 2, pleural effusions – 14 |
| Narayanan et al54 | Radiology | 38 | R | Various | N | NA | M | |
| O’Neill et al55 | Radiology | 21 | R | Various | N | NA | H | |
| Orsi et al1 | Radiology | 8 | R | Various | Y | PR | H | Patients’ selection: eg, those with renal failure, heart failure were excluded |
| Ozkan et al31 | Radiology | 7 | R | Various | N | NA | H | |
| Richard et al33 | Radiology | 10 | R | Various | N | NA | H | |
| Rosenberg et al9 | Radiology | 107 | R, comparative study | Various | N | NA | L | |
| Ross et al42 | Radiology | 43 | R | Various | N | NA | M | |
| Savin et al32 | Radiology | 28 | P, longitudinal study | Various | N | NA | L | |
| Seike et al11 | Gastroenterology | 69 | R, comparative study | Various | N | NA | ? | Patients’ selection – many conditions as contraindication to PVS insertion. Study design not clearly specified |
| Soderlund39 | Gastroenterology | 24 | P, longitudinal, comparative study | Various | N | NA | M | |
| Stukan et al27 | Gynecologic Oncology | 43 | R | Various | N | NA | L | |
| Tapping et al25 | Radiology | 28 | P, longitudinal study | Various | N | NA | L | |
| Tomiyama et al40 | Surgery | 33 | R | Various | Y | PR | M |
Abbreviations: AC, authors created questionnaire; MA, malignant ascites; NA, not assessed; OS, overall survival; P, prospective; PR, patient reported; PVS, peritoneovenous shunts; QOL, quality of life; QLQ, Quality of Life Questionnaire; R, retrospective; ST, standardized questionnaire; H, high; L, low; M, moderate; ?, not possible to assess.