Table 1.
Quality rating of articles using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Quality Assessment Tool for Case Series Studies.16
| First author [Reference #] |
Questiona |
Overall rating |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rater 1 | Rater 2 | |
| Wang52 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Wang53 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Uzel54 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | Yes | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Wen55 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Taghizadieh56 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | Yes | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Du57 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | Yes | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Song58 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Lu59 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | Yes | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Ashokka60 | Yes | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Chen61 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | CD | CD | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Liao62 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | CD | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Liu27 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Zhu63 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Chen64 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | CD | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Cao65 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Xiong66 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | Yes | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Chen67 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Yang68 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Liu69 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Cheng70 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Yu71 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Yang72 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Xie73 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Xu74 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Xu75 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | NR | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Liu76 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Zheng77 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Justino78 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | Yes | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Fontanella79 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Ai23 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | Yes | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Gong80 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | NR | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Yang81 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Xia82 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Lee83 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Kelly84 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | Yes | CD | NR | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Khan85 | Yes | Yes | NR | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | NR | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Chen86 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Kalafat87 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | NA | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Yassa88 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Chen89 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Li90 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Hantoushzadeh22 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Lucarelli91 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NR | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Yu92 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Mehta93 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Kolkova94 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Mohammadi95 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Romagano96 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Fan97 | Yes | Yes | NR | Yes | Yes | NR | Yes | NR | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Tutiya98 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Dong99 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| An100 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | CD | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Liu101 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Zamaniyan102 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Martinelli43 | NR | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | CD | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Wu103 | Yes | Yes | NR | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Perrone104 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Yang105 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Reis106 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Alzamora107 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Zhang108 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Shojaei20 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Huang109 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Peng110 | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | NA | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Zeng111 | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Yes | CD | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
| Wu112 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fair | Fair |
NIH = National Institute of Health, NR = not recorded, CD = cannot determine, NA = not applicable.
NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Case Series Studies16 poses the following nine questions: 1 = Was the objective clearly stated?, 2 = Was the study population clearly and fully described, including a case definition?, 3 = Were the cases consecutive?, 4 = Were the subjects comparable?, 5 = Was the intervention clearly described?, 6 = Were the outcome measures clearly defined, valid, reliable, and implemented consistently across all study participants?, 7 = Was the length of follow-up adequate?, 8 = Were the statistical methods well-described?, 9 = Were the results well-described? Adapted from Salehi et al. (doi.org/10.2214/AJR.20.23034). NIH = National Institutes of Health.