Systematic literature searches were performed in 31 databases covering
the publication period from January 2003 to January 2010. While the
effectiveness of interventions is solely assessed on the basis of randomised
controlled trials (RCT), the assessment of the effectiveness of
diagnostic procedures also considers prospective accuracy studies. In
order to clarify social, ethical and legal aspects all studies deemed
relevant with regard to content were taken into consideration, irrespective
of their study design. Study selection and critical appraisal were
conducted by two independent assessors. Due to clinical heterogeneity
of the studies no meta-analyses were performed.