A systematic literature review to identify the best method for a single level anterior cervical interbody fusion

CRD COMMENTARY:

This is, on the whole, a methodologically-sound review that is well-reported. The review question was stated clearly and supported by study inclusion criteria. The literature search was fairly comprehensive, though attempts to identify unpublished literature were weak. Validity assessment was performed using a validated set of criteria, and results of that assessment were presented adequately. Study details were poorly reported, e.g. participant characteristics were missing. Aspects of the review process were also reported poorly, e.g. it was unclear whether validity assessment and study selection were conducted independently, and details of the data extraction process were missing. No formal statistical test of heterogeneity was reported. The authors' conclusions do follow from the data presented.