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cranial-cervical junction, C1, C2
cervical spondylotic myelopathy
Intradural extramedullary tumor
Therapeutic Studies | Prognostic Studies | Diagnostic Studies | Economic and Decision Analyses | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Level 1 | • High quality randomized trial with statistically significant difference or no statistically significant difference but narrow confidence intervals
• Systematic Review of Level I RCTs and study results were homogenous |
• High quality prospective study (all patients were enrolled at the same point in their disease with ≥ 80% follow-up of enrolled patients)
• Systematic review of Level I studies |
• Testing of previously Developed diagnostic criteria on consecutive patients
• Systematic review of Level I studies |
• Sensible costs and alternatives; values obtained from many studies; with multi way sensitivity analyses
• Systematic review of Level I studies |
Level 2 | • Lesser quality RCTs
• Prospective comparative study • Systematic review of Level II studies or Level I studies with inconsistent results |
• Retrospective study
• Lesser quality prospective study (e.g. patients enrolled at different points in their disease) • Systematic review of Level II studies |
• Development of diagnostic criteria on consecutive patients (with universally applied reference “gold” standard)
• Systematic review of Level II studies |
• Sensible costs and alternatives; values obtained from limited studies; with multiway sensitivity analyses
• Systematic review of Level II studies |
Level 3 | • Case control study
• Retrospective comparative study • Systematic review of Level III studies |
• Case control study | • Study of nonconsecutive patients; without consistently applied reference “gold” standard
• Systematic review of Level III studies |
• Analyses based on limited alternatives and costs; and poor estimates
• Systematic review of Level III studies |
Level 4 | • Case Series | • Case Series | • Case Series Poor reference standard | • Analyses with no sensitivity analyses |
Level 5 | • Expert Opinion | • Expert Opinion | • Expert Opinion | • Expert Opinion |