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The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Jan 2017Pulmonary embolism is a leading cause of pregnancy-related death. An accurate diagnosis in pregnant patients is crucial to prevent untreated pulmonary embolism as well... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Pulmonary embolism is a leading cause of pregnancy-related death. An accurate diagnosis in pregnant patients is crucial to prevent untreated pulmonary embolism as well as unnecessary anticoagulant treatment and future preventive measures. Applied imaging techniques might perform differently in these younger patients with less comorbidity and altered physiology, who largely have been excluded from diagnostic studies.
OBJECTIVES
To determine the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), lung scintigraphy and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism during pregnancy.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched MEDLINE and Embase until July 2015. We used included studies as seeds in citations searches and in 'find similar' functions and searched reference lists. We approached experts in the field to help us identify non-indexed studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included consecutive series of pregnant patients suspected of pulmonary embolism who had undergone one of the index tests (computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiography, lung scintigraphy or MRA) and clinical follow-up or pulmonary angiography as a reference test.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors performed data extraction and quality assessment. We contacted investigators of potentially eligible studies to obtain missing information. In the primary analysis, we regarded inconclusive index test results as a negative reference test, and treatment for pulmonary embolism after an inconclusive index test as a positive reference test.
MAIN RESULTS
We included 11 studies (four CTPA, five lung scintigraphy, two both) with a total of 695 CTPA and 665 lung scintigraphy results. Lung scintigraphy was applied by different techniques. No MRA studies matched our inclusion criteria.Overall, risk of bias and concerns regarding applicability were high in all studies as judged in light of the review research question, as was heterogeneity in study methods. We did not undertake meta-analysis. All studies used clinical follow-up as a reference standard, none in a manner that enabled reliable identification of false positives. Sensitivity and negative predictive value were therefore the only valid test accuracy measures.The median negative predictive value for CTPA was 100% (range 96% to 100%). Median sensitivity was 83% (range 0% to 100%).The median negative predictive value for lung scintigraphy was 100% (range 99% to 100%). Median sensitivity was 100% (range 0% to 100%).The median frequency of inconclusive results was 5.9% (range 0.9% to 36%) for CTPA and 4.0% (range 0% to 23%) for lung scintigraphy. The overall median prevalence of pulmonary embolism was 3.3% (range 0.0% to 8.7%).
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Both CTPA and lung scintigraphy seem appropriate for exclusion of pulmonary embolism during pregnancy. However, the quality of the evidence mandates cautious adoption of this conclusion. Important limitations included poor reference standards, necessary assumptions in the analysis regarding inconclusive test results and the inherent inability of included studies to identify false positives. It is unclear which test has the highest accuracy. There is a need for direct comparisons between diagnostic methods, including MR, in prospective randomized diagnostic studies.
Topics: Angiography; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Angiography; Positron-Emission Tomography; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic; Pulmonary Embolism; Radionuclide Imaging; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 28124411
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011053.pub2 -
Blood Advances Sep 2020Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common, potentially life-threatening yet treatable condition. Prompt diagnosis and expeditious therapeutic intervention is of paramount... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common, potentially life-threatening yet treatable condition. Prompt diagnosis and expeditious therapeutic intervention is of paramount importance for optimal patient management. Our objective was to systematically review the accuracy of D-dimer assay, compression ultrasonography (CUS), computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), and ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scanning for the diagnosis of suspected first and recurrent PE. We searched Cochrane Central, MEDLINE, and EMBASE for eligible studies, reference lists of relevant reviews, registered trials, and relevant conference proceedings. 2 investigators screened and abstracted data. Risk of bias was assessed using Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 and certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework. We pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity. The review included 61 studies. The pooled estimates for D-dimer sensitivity and specificity were 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-0.98) and 0.41 (95% CI, 0.36-0.46) respectively, whereas CTPA sensitivity and specificity were 0.94 (95% CI, 0.89-0.97) and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.97-0.99), respectively, and CUS sensitivity and specificity were 0.49 (95% CI, 0.31-0.66) and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.95-0.98), respectively. Three variations of pooled estimates for sensitivity and specificity of V/Q scan were carried out, based on interpretation of test results. D-dimer had the highest sensitivity when compared with imaging. CTPA and V/Q scans (high probability scan as a positive and low/non-diagnostic/normal scan as negative) both had the highest specificity. This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO as CRD42018084669.
Topics: Humans; Pulmonary Embolism; Radionuclide Imaging; Sensitivity and Specificity; Ultrasonography; Ventilation-Perfusion Scan
PubMed: 32915980
DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2019001052 -
Current Heart Failure Reports Jun 2022The prevalence of cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) is increasing due to improved cancer survival. Serial monitoring of cardiac function is essential to... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The prevalence of cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) is increasing due to improved cancer survival. Serial monitoring of cardiac function is essential to detect CTRCD, guiding timely intervention strategies. Multigated radionuclide angiography (MUGA) has been the main screening tool using left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) to monitor cardiac dysfunction. However, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) may be more suitable for serial assessment. We aimed to assess the concordance between different non-radiating imaging modalities with MUGA to determine whether they can be used interchangeably.
RECENT FINDINGS
In order to identify relevant studies, a PubMed search was performed. We included cross-sectional studies comparing MUGA LVEF to that of 2D TTE, 3D TTE, and CMR. From 470 articles, 22 were selected, comprising 1017 patients in total. Among others, this included three 3D TTE, seven 2D harmonic TTE + contrast (2DHC), and seven CMR comparisons. The correlations and Bland-Altman limits of agreement varied for CMR but were stronger for 3D TTE and 2DHC. Our findings suggest that MUGA and CMR should not be used interchangeably whereas 3D TTE and 2DHC are appropriate alternatives following an initial MUGA scan. We propose a multimodality diagnostic imaging strategy for LVEF monitoring in patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Topics: Cross-Sectional Studies; Heart Diseases; Heart Failure; Humans; Neoplasms; Stroke Volume; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left; Ventricular Function, Left
PubMed: 35355205
DOI: 10.1007/s11897-022-00544-3 -
Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia =... Apr 2023Ancillary tests are frequently used in death determination by neurologic criteria (DNC), particularly when the clinical neurologic examination is unreliable.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
PURPOSE
Ancillary tests are frequently used in death determination by neurologic criteria (DNC), particularly when the clinical neurologic examination is unreliable. Nevertheless, their diagnostic accuracy has not been extensively studied. Our objective was to synthesize the sensitivity and specificity of commonly used ancillary tests for DNC.
SOURCE
We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane databases, and CINAHL Ebsco from their inception to 4 February 2022. We selected cohort and case-control studies including patients with 1) clinically diagnosed death by neurologic criteria or 2) clinically suspected death by neurologic criteria who underwent ancillary testing for DNC. We excluded studies without a priori diagnostic criteria and studies conducted solely on pediatric patients. Accepted reference standards were clinical examination, four-vessel conventional angiography, and radionuclide imaging. Data were directly extracted from published reports. We assessed the methodological quality of studies with the QUADAS-2 tool and estimated ancillary test sensitivities and specificities using hierarchical Bayesian models with diffuse priors.
PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
Overall, 137 records met the selection criteria. One study (0.7%) had a low risk of bias in all QUADAS-2 domains. Among clinically diagnosed death by neurologic criteria patients (n = 8,891), ancillary tests had similar pooled sensitivities (range, 0.82-0.93). Sensitivity heterogeneity was greater within (σ = 0.10-0.15) than between (σ = 0.04) ancillary test types. Among clinically suspected death by neurologic criteria patients (n = 2,732), pooled ancillary test sensitivities ranged between 0.81 and 1.00 and specificities between 0.87 and 1.00. Most estimates had high statistical uncertainty.
CONCLUSION
Studies assessing ancillary test diagnostic accuracy have an unclear or high risk of bias. High-quality studies are required to thoroughly validate ancillary tests for DNC.
STUDY REGISTRATION
PROSPERO (CRD42013005907); registered 7 October 2013.
Topics: Humans; Child; Bayes Theorem; Sensitivity and Specificity; Case-Control Studies
PubMed: 37155120
DOI: 10.1007/s12630-023-02426-1 -
Journal of Nuclear Medicine : Official... Dec 2016Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with SPECT is a well-established tool for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, soft-tissue attenuation is a common... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
UNLABELLED
Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with SPECT is a well-established tool for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, soft-tissue attenuation is a common artifact that limits the diagnostic accuracy of MPI. The aim of this study was to determine whether attenuation correction (AC) improved the diagnostic performance of MPI, using coronary angiography as a reference standard.
METHODS
MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched until March 2015 for studies evaluating AC MPI for the diagnosis of CAD. Methodologic quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. For each study, the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio, along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were calculated to determine the diagnostic accuracy of AC versus non-attenuation-corrected (NAC) MPI. A bivariate mixed-effects model was applied for pooling the data.
RESULTS
Of 201 articles, 17 studies (1,701 patients) were identified, including 5 studies that used CT AC, 12 studies that used radionuclide source AC (RAC), and 15 studies that reported NAC results. The pooled sensitivities across studies were 0.80 (95% CI, 0.64-0.91), 0.85 (95% CI, 0.81-0.88), 0.84 (95% CI, 0.79-0.88), and 0.80 (95% CI, 0.75-0.85) for CT AC, RAC, all AC, and NAC, respectively. The pooled specificities were 0.83 (95% CI, 0.71-0.91), 0.81 (95% CI, 0.73-0.86), 0.80 (95% CI, 0.74-0.85), and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.61-0.74). Both sensitivities and specificities resulted in a pooled diagnostic odds ratio of 20 (95% CI, 12-34), 24 (95% CI, 13-43), 22 (95% CI, 13-35), and 9 (7-11). Significant differences in specificity and diagnostic odds ratios were noted when AC (including CT AC, RAC, and all AC) was compared with NAC.
CONCLUSION
The results from this study suggested that AC should be applied to MPI to improve the diagnosis of CAD, especially the specificity.
Topics: Coronary Artery Disease; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 27445295
DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.115.171462 -
Systematic review and meta-analysis of strategies for the diagnosis of suspected pulmonary embolism.BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Jul 2005To assess the likelihood ratios of diagnostic strategies for pulmonary embolism and to determine their clinical application according to pretest probability. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVES
To assess the likelihood ratios of diagnostic strategies for pulmonary embolism and to determine their clinical application according to pretest probability.
DATA SOURCES
Medline, Embase, and Pascal Biomed and manual search for articles published from January 1990 to September 2003.
STUDY SELECTION
Studies that evaluated diagnostic tests for confirmation or exclusion of pulmonary embolism. DATA EXTRACTED: Positive likelihood ratios for strategies that confirmed a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism and negative likelihood ratios for diagnostic strategies that excluded a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.
DATA SYNTHESIS
48 of 1012 articles were included. Positive likelihood ratios for diagnostic tests were: high probability ventilation perfusion lung scan 18.3 (95% confidence interval 10.3 to 32.5), spiral computed tomography 24.1 (12.4 to 46.7), and ultrasonography of leg veins 16.2 (5.6 to 46.7). In patients with a moderate or high pretest probability, these findings are associated with a greater than 85% post-test probability of pulmonary embolism. Negative likelihood ratios were: normal or near normal appearance on lung scan 0.05 (0.03 to 0.10), a negative result on spiral computed tomography along with a negative result on ultrasonography 0.04 (0.03 to 0.06), and a d-dimer concentration < 500 mug/l measured by quantitative enzyme linked immunosorbent assay 0.08 (0.04 to 0.18). In patients with a low or moderate pretest probability, these findings were associated with a post-test probability of pulmonary embolism below 5%. Spiral computed tomography alone, a low probability ventilation perfusion lung scan, magnetic resonance angiography, a quantitative latex d-dimer test, and haemagglutination d-dimers had higher negative likelihood ratios and can therefore only exclude pulmonary embolism in patients with a low pretest probability.
CONCLUSIONS
The accuracy of tests for suspected pulmonary embolism varies greatly, but it is possible to estimate the range of pretest probabilities over which each test or strategy can confirm or rule out pulmonary embolism.
Topics: Echocardiography; Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; Humans; Leg; Likelihood Functions; Magnetic Resonance Angiography; Pulmonary Embolism; Radionuclide Imaging; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tomography, Spiral Computed; Veins
PubMed: 16052017
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.331.7511.259 -
Heart (British Cardiac Society) Nov 2003To evaluate the discriminatory value and compare the predictive performance of six non-invasive tests used for perioperative cardiac risk stratification in patients... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the discriminatory value and compare the predictive performance of six non-invasive tests used for perioperative cardiac risk stratification in patients undergoing major vascular surgery.
DESIGN
Meta-analysis of published reports.
METHODS
Eight studies on ambulatory electrocardiography, seven on exercise electrocardiography, eight on radionuclide ventriculography, 23 on myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, eight on dobutamine stress echocardiography, and four on dipyridamole stress echocardiography were selected, using a systematic review of published reports on preoperative non-invasive tests from the Medline database (January 1975 and April 2001). Random effects models were used to calculate weighted sensitivity and specificity from the published results. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate and compare the prognostic accuracy of each test. The relative diagnostic odds ratio was used to study the differences in diagnostic performance of the tests.
RESULTS
In all, 8119 patients participated in the studies selected. Dobutamine stress echocardiography had the highest weighted sensitivity of 85% (95% confidence interval (CI) 74% to 97%) and a reasonable specificity of 70% (95% CI 62% to 79%) for predicting perioperative cardiac death and non-fatal myocardial infarction. On SROC analysis, there was a trend for dobutamine stress echocardiography to perform better than the other tests, but this only reached significance against myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (relative diagnostic odds ratio 5.5, 95% CI 2.0 to 14.9).
CONCLUSIONS
On meta-analysis of six non-invasive tests, dobutamine stress echocardiography showed a positive trend towards better diagnostic performance than the other tests, but this was only significant in the comparison with myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. However, dobutamine stress echocardiography may be the favoured test in situations where there is valvar or left ventricular dysfunction.
Topics: Cardiotonic Agents; Dipyridamole; Dopamine; Echocardiography, Stress; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; Exercise Test; False Positive Reactions; Heart Diseases; Humans; Intraoperative Complications; Prognosis; Radionuclide Ventriculography; Sensitivity and Specificity; Vascular Diseases; Vasodilator Agents
PubMed: 14594892
DOI: 10.1136/heart.89.11.1327