Table 1.

Minors criteria: A clearly stated aim /2: Inclusion of consecutive patients /3: Prospective collection of data / 4: Endpoints appropriate to the aim of the study /5: Unbiased assessment of the study endpoint /6: Follow-up period appropriate to the aim of the study /7: Loss to follow up less than 5%/ 8: Baseline equivalence of groups /9: Adequate statistical analyses

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total score
Chen, Ruchong [38]	2	2	2	2	2	2	0	2	2	16
Guang Chen [22]	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	2	2	16
Xinyi Chen [34]	2	2	2	2	2	2	0	2	2	16
Davide Ferrari [45]	2	2	2	2	2	2	0	2	2	16
Jianhong Fu [32]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Wei Hou [43]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Chaolin Huang [31]	2	2	2	2	2	2	0	2	2	16
Hideaki Kato [27]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Huan Li [46]	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	2	17
Shaohua Li [23]	2	2	1	2	1	0	0	0	2	10
Claudio Liguori [47]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Hua Fan [13]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Jing Liu [37]	2	1	2	2	2	0	1	2	2	14
Kai Liu [30]	2	2	2	2	2	2	0	2	2	16
Tao Liu [41]	2	2	1	2	1	0	0	2	2	12
Zhihua Lv [24]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Giulia Rastrelli [39]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Weifeng Shang [48]	2	2	2	2	2	0	0	2	2	14
Ying Sun [20]	2	2	2	2	2	0	0	2	2	14
Chaochao Tan [12]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Suxin Wan [28]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Zhongliang Wang [29]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Ai-Ping Yang [33]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Jun Zhang [40]	2	2	2	2	2	1	0	2	2	15
Jin-jin Zhang [25]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Yafei Zhang [36]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Changcheng Zheng [44]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
F. Zheng [26]	2	2	2	2	2	0	0	2	2	14
Yi Zheng [14]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Yaqing Zhou [21]	2	2	2	2	2	2	0	2	2	16
Yulong Zhou [42]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Jiaofeng Huang [49]	2	2	2	2	2	0	2	2	2	16
Shaobo Shi [51]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Mostafa Javanian [50]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Qingxian Cai [52]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Egon Burian [19]	2	2	2	2	2	1	0	2	2	15
Qingchun Yao [53]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18
Tobias H [35]	2	2	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	17