Meta-analysis of diagnostic significance of sixty-four-row multi-section computed tomography angiography and three-dimensional digital subtraction angiography in patients with cerebral artery aneurysm

Objective: Imaging methods are essential in evaluating cerebral artery aneurysms and they have evolved with recent technical advances. Sixty-four-row multi-section computed tomography (64-MSCT) angiography and three-dimensional digital subtraction angiography (3D-DSA) are two of the most popular methods. We sought to systematically explore and find out which one would be better in imaging cerebral artery aneurysm, and try to investigate the potential use and value of 64-MSCT angiography and 3D-DSA in cerebral artery aneurysm. Method: Followed by a predefined comprehensive literature search, we carefully searched both English and Chinese electronic databases for potentially relevant studies following our meta-analysis. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of the included eligible trials based on quality assessment of studies of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS). Pooled summary statistics for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios (positive LR and negative LR), and diagnostic odds ratio (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (Us) were utilized. Results: Final meta-analysis of 923 cerebral artery aneurysm cases were incorporated from eight cohort studies and selected for statistical analysis. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of 64-MSCT angiography in the diagnosis of cerebral artery aneurysm were 0.97(95% CI, 0.96-0.98) and 0.91 (0.88-0.94), respectively. The pooled positive LR was 7.68 (95% CI, 334-17.67); and the pooled negative LR was 0.04 (95% CI, 0.03-0.05). The pooled diagnostic OR was 263.69(95% CI, 121.19-573.77). The area under the SROC curve was 0.9934 (standard error [SE] = 0.0031). No significant evidence of publication bias was detected (P>0.05). Conclusion: The main finding of our meta-analysis revealed that 64-MSCT angiography relative to the 3D-DSA may have a high diagnostic accuracy for the cerebral artery aneurysm. Thus, 64-MSCT angiography may be an effective tool for the early detection of cerebral artery aneurysm. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.