Table 1.

The GRADE evidence quality for main outcomes

Quality assessment							No of patients
No of Studies	Design	Risk of bias	Inconsistency	Indirectness	Imprecision	Other considerations	QL block groups	TAP block groups	Effect	Quality
Postoperative pain scores at 2 h
3	RCT	No serious risk of bias	serious	No serious indirectness	No serious imprecision	None	90	90	SMD = −1.76 95%CI: (−2.63 to −0.89)	Moderate
Postoperative pain scores at 4 h
6	RCT	No serious risk of bias	serious	No serious indirectness	No serious imprecision	None	199	198	SMD = −0.74 95%CI: (−1.34 to − 0.14)	Moderate
Postoperative pain scores at 6 h
4	RCT	No serious risk of bias	serious	No serious indirectness	No serious imprecision	None	144	143	SMD = −1.24 95%CI: (−2.31 to −0.17)	Moderate
Postoperative pain scores at 12 h
7	RCT	No serious risk of bias	serious	No serious indirectness	No serious imprecision	None	253	251	SMD = −0.70 95%CI:(−1.27 to − 0.13)	Moderate
Postoperative pain scores at 24 h
7	RCT	No serious risk of bias	serious	No serious indirectness	No serious imprecision	None	253	251	SMD = −0.60 95%CI: (−1.21 to 0)	Moderate

GRADE Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation, RCT randomized controlled trial, SMD standard mean difference, QL quadratus lumborum,TAP transversus abdominis plane