Is the presence of Modic changes associated with the outcomes of different treatments? A systematic critical review

Table 2 The quality of the studies according to the quality score

First author and type of treatment	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Total (%)
Buttermann [25] Epidural steroid injection	+	+	-	+	-	-	-	-	3 (38%)
Buttermann [25] Intradiscal steroid injection	+	+	-	+	-	-	-	-	3 (38%)
Fayad et al. [28] Intradiscal steroid injection	+	+	-	-	+	+	+	-	5 (63%)
Siepe et al. [27] Disc replacement	+	+	-	+*	-	-	-	-	2.5 (31%)
Esposito et al. [26] Fusion surgery	+	NA	NA	+*	-	+	+	-	3.5 (58%)
Kleinstück et al. [24] Exercise therapy	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	8 (100%)

The numbers from 1-8 refer to the corresponding question in Table 1. Each question was scored positive (+) if the item was fulfilled, negative (-) if the item was not fulfilled and (NA) if not applicable. *Only reported for one of two outcomes and therefore counted as 0.5 in the overall score.

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