Cardiac thrombus detected by cardiac computed tomography angiography in patients with acute ischemic stroke: a meta-analysis

Background Detecting cardiac thrombus in patients with acute ischemic stroke is crucial in determine stroke etiology and predict prognosis. However, the prevalence of cardiac thrombus in patients with acute ischemic stroke is unclear.Object This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of cardiac thrombus detected by cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in patients with acute ischemic stroke through a meta-analysis.Methods Embase, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and CENTRAL were searched from January 1, 2000, to May 1, 2024. We included observational studies enrolling patients who underwent CCTA within 1 month following acute ischemic stroke, and reporting the incidence of cardiac thrombi on CCTA. Meta-analysis was performed using random effects models.Results Twenty-six studies involving 4,516 patients were identified. The pooled prevalence of cardiac thrombus detected on CCTA in patients with acute ischemic stroke was 0.08 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06-0.11). Inter-study heterogeneity was high (I2 = 88%). Among stroke type, the prevalence of atrial fibrillation, timing of CCTA and CCTA technology, the prevalence of atrial fibrillation was the only factor associated with cardiac thrombi prevalence detected by CCTA. However, atrial fibrillation was not documented in 41.5% of the patients with cardiac thrombi.Conclusion CCTA is a useful non-invasive imaging approach for detecting cardiac thrombus in patients with acute ischemic stroke, which might be helpful to determine the stroke etiology.