Treatment of cholecystitis with Chinese herbal medicines: A systematic review of the literature

Table 2 Evidence strength analysis

	Acute cholecystitis (H/M)	Chronic cholecystitis (H/M)	Acute exacerbation of chronic cholecystitis	Cholecystitis complicated by cholelithiasis (H/M)	Other diseases complicated by cholecystitis (H/M)	Total	Evidence level
Systemic review	0	0	0	0	0	0	I
RCT	35 (2/2)	62 (6/0)	6 (1/0)	28 (1/1)	5 (1/0)	136	II
Case-control	19 (1/0)	40 (2/1)	1	37 (4/1)	4 (1/0)	101	III
Case report	203 (9/3)	336 (26/0)	7 (1/0)	344 (27/1)	71 (7/0)	961	IV
Experience reports/Masters experience	31 (2/0)	54 (4/0)	2	109 (7/2)	20 (1/0)	216	V
Review	5 (1/0)	19	0	25 (2/0)	5 (1/0)	54	V
Total	293	511	16	543	105	1468

H: Core Chinese Journals; M: MEDLINE; Foreign literatures number = 9: 2 pieces of Literatures in Bulgarian, 1 in Russian, 6 in English (SCI), 1 RCT Chronic Cholecystitis, 2 case reports, 1 case comparison, 1 review (cholecystitis), 1 case report (other complicated cholecystitis). RCT: Randomized controlled trial.