Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title:  Diagnostic accuracy of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) as a non -invasive test for 
steatosis in suspected non alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta -analysis  
 
Version: 1 Date: 04 Nov 2018 
 
Reviewer:  Fabio  Piscagli a 
 
Reviewer’s report:  
 
Please include all comments for the authors in this box rather than uploading your report as an 
attachment. Please only upload as attachments annotated versions of manuscripts, graphs, 
supporting materials or other a spects of your report which cannot be included in a text format.  
 
Please overwrite this text when adding your comments to the authors.  
 
The study is improved however: a revision by an english native speaker is needed. The authours 
still state everywere that  they studies patients with NAFLD, but in several places in the text is 
would be more appropriate to state that patients with suspected NAFLD were studies (as some 
were not found to suffer from fatty infiltraiton at biopsy).  
 
Page 11 first line. I would suggest to replace "reliable" with "accurate".  
 
I would change the title to a more explicit: Diagnostic accuracy of controlled attenuation 
parameter (CAP) as a non -invasive test for statosi in suspected non alcoholic fatty liver  disease: 
a systematic review and metanalysis.  
 
Page 5: lines 6 -7 the authors state that the informations were retrieved from theprimary articles 
or acquired directly from the corresponding author. However in the reply letter they state that no 
authors of the articles responded to the request to provide individual data. The two statements are 
difficult to go together. Either the authors got in contact with some other authors or they only 
collected data from the primary articles. Please clarify.  
 
Are the metho ds appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional st atistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some la nguage corrections before being published  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain o r lose financially from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the man uscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below. If your repl y is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title:  Diagnostic accuracy of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) as a non -invasive test for 
steatosis in suspected non alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta -analysis  
 
Version: 1 Date: 04 Nov 2018 
 
Reviewer:  Fabio  Piscagli a 
 
Reviewer’s report:  
 
Please include all comments for the authors in this box rather than uploading your report as an 
attachment. Please only upload as attachments annotated versions of manuscripts, graphs, 
supporting materials or other a spects of your report which cannot be included in a text format.  
 
Please overwrite this text when adding your comments to the authors.  
 
The study is improved however: a revision by an english native speaker is needed. The authours 
still state everywere that  they studies patients with NAFLD, but in several places in the text is 
would be more appropriate to state that patients with suspected NAFLD were studies (as some 
were not found to suffer from fatty infiltraiton at biopsy).  
 
Page 11 first line. I would suggest to replace "reliable" with "accurate".  
 
I would change the title to a more explicit: Diagnostic accuracy of controlled attenuation 
parameter (CAP) as a non -invasive test for statosi in suspected non alcoholic fatty liver  disease: 
a systematic review and metanalysis.  
 
Page 5: lines 6 -7 the authors state that the informations were retrieved from theprimary articles 
or acquired directly from the corresponding author. However in the reply letter they state that no 
authors of the articles responded to the request to provide individual data. The two statements are 
difficult to go together. Either the authors got in contact with some other authors or they only 
collected data from the primary articles. Please clarify.  
 
Are the metho ds appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional st atistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some la nguage corrections before being published  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain o r lose financially from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the man uscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below. If your repl y is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title:  Diagnostic accuracy of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) as a non -invasive test for 
steatosis in suspected non alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta -analysis  
 
Version: 1 Date: 04 Nov 2018 
 
Reviewer:  Fabio  Piscagli a 
 
Reviewer’s report:  
 
Please include all comments for the authors in this box rather than uploading your report as an 
attachment. Please only upload as attachments annotated versions of manuscripts, graphs, 
supporting materials or other a spects of your report which cannot be included in a text format.  
 
Please overwrite this text when adding your comments to the authors.  
 
The study is improved however: a revision by an english native speaker is needed. The authours 
still state everywere that  they studies patients with NAFLD, but in several places in the text is 
would be more appropriate to state that patients with suspected NAFLD were studies (as some 
were not found to suffer from fatty infiltraiton at biopsy).  
 
Page 11 first line. I would suggest to replace "reliable" with "accurate".  
 
I would change the title to a more explicit: Diagnostic accuracy of controlled attenuation 
parameter (CAP) as a non -invasive test for statosi in suspected non alcoholic fatty liver  disease: 
a systematic review and metanalysis.  
 
Page 5: lines 6 -7 the authors state that the informations were retrieved from theprimary articles 
or acquired directly from the corresponding author. However in the reply letter they state that no 
authors of the articles responded to the request to provide individual data. The two statements are 
difficult to go together. Either the authors got in contact with some other authors or they only 
collected data from the primary articles. Please clarify.  
 
Are the metho ds appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional st atistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some la nguage corrections before being published  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain o r lose financially from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the man uscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below. If your repl y is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
assistant