Assessment of Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Safety Using the Self-Controlled Tree-Temporal Scan Statistic Signal-Detection Method in the Sentinel System

The self-controlled tree-temporal scan statistic—a new signal-detection method—can evaluate whether any of a wide variety of health outcomes are temporally associated with receipt of a specific vaccine, while adjusting for multiple testing. Neither health outcomes nor post-vaccination potential periods of increased risk need be pre-specified. Using US medical claims data in the Sentinel System, the method was used to evaluate adverse events after quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (4vHPV).