Thoracic endovascular vs open surgical repair in descending thoracic aortic aneurysms: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Table 2 Quality assessment scores of the included studies, indicating methodological quality and risk of bias

Ref.	Selection				Comparability	Outcome			Total
	1	2	3	4	1	1	2	3
von Allmen et al[16], 2014	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	8
Andrassy et al[17], 2011	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Arnaoutakis et al[18], 2015	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Bavaria et al[19], 2007	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	-	7
Brandt et al[20], 2004	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Chiu et al[28], 2019	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	8
Desai et al[44], 2012	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Dick et al[21], 2008	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	-	8
Glade et al[22], 2005	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Goodney et al[45], 2011	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	8
Gopaldas et al[23], 2010	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	8
Hughes et al[30], 2014	One star	One star	One star	One star	-	One star	One star	One star	7
Karimi et al[24], 2012	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Kieffer et al[31], 2009	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	One star	9
Lee et al[25], 2015	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Matsumura et al[32], 2014	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	-	8
Ogawa et al[35], 2021	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Orandi et al[26], 2009	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Orelaru et al[34],2023	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Patel et al[33], 2008	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9
Stone et al[27], 2006	One star	One star	One star	One star	Two stars	One star	One star	One star	9

The stars included in the table represent the scores assigned using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, a tool designed to assess the quality of non-randomized studies in systematic reviews. Each star corresponds to a point awarded based on three key domains: The selection of study groups, the comparability of the groups, and the ascertainment of exposure or outcome. The maximum score is nine stars, with higher numbers indicating higher study quality. The stars in the table reflect the evaluation of each study against these criteria.