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REVIEW article

Front. Med.
Sec. Nuclear Medicine
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1457307

The Diagnostic Performance of Dual-Energy CT Imaging in Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis of Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Aiping Han Aiping Han Yanqiu Liu Yanqiu Liu Linxian Cai Linxian Cai Jing Xie Jing Xie Shouzhang Hu Shouzhang Hu *
  • Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Purpose: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) in detecting cervical lymph node metastasis among papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients.A comprehensive search across PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases was conducted to identify pertinent publications up to May 2024. This search focused on studies examining the diagnostic accuracy of DECT in detecting cervical lymph node metastases in PTC patients. We employed a bivariate random-effects model to calculate pooled sensitivity and specificity of DECT. The degree of heterogeneity in the studies was quantified using the I 2 statistic. Furthermore, the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool was utilized to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies.Results: This meta-analysis encompassed 14 articles, collectively involving 1,615 patients. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC for DECT in detecting cervical lymph node metastases in PTC patients were 0.81 (95% CI: 0.76-0.85), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80-0.91), and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86-0.92), respectively. According to Fagan's nomogram, for DECT, with a pre-test probability of 50%, the post-test probability was calculated as 85% for a positive result and 18% for a negative result. Deeks' funnel plot asymmetry test showed no significant publication bias was observed for DECT (P=0.28).Our meta-analysis indicates that DECT demonstrates superior sensitivity and specificity in cervical lymph node metastasis among PTC patients. To corroborate these findings and evaluate their clinical applicability, further prospective studies are necessary.

    Keywords: Dual-energy CT, Cervical lymph node metastasis, Papillary thyroid cancer, Meta-analysis, Diagnostic efficacy

    Received: 30 Jun 2024; Accepted: 21 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Han, Liu, Cai, Xie and Hu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shouzhang Hu, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430081, Hubei Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.