Abstract

Background: Mechanical revascularization has become an essential treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients. Post-treatment imaging frequently displays hyperdense regions, prompting concerns regarding possible cerebral hemorrhage. Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT), as an advanced imaging modality, offers the potential to discern between hemorrhage and harmless contrast leakage. Aim: This study aims to assess the diagnostic precision of DECT in distinguishing cerebral hemorrhage from contrast extravasation post-mechanical revascularization in acute ischemic stroke cases. Methods: A comprehensive search was performed for PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library until January 2023. We focused on studies that focused on the diagnostic efficacy of DECT for this specific application. R software (version 4.0.3) coupled with mada package facilitated the analyses pooling metrics such as sensitivity, specificity, false-positive rate estimates, diagnostic odds ratio, and positive and negative Likelihood Ratios. These metrics were reported with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI). Results: Our analysis included 5 studies involving 241 patients. DECT demonstrated a pooled sensitivity of 94.5% (95% CI: 25.9% to 99.9%, I 2 =0%) and a specificity of 99% (95% CI: 77.3% to 100%, I 2 =0%). The false-positive rate was minimal at 1% (95% CI: 0% to 22.7%). The positive likelihood ratio was calculated as 98.94 (95% CI: 3.34 to 2929.22), while the negative likelihood ratio was 0.05 (95% CI: 0.001 to 2.21). The diagnostic odds ratio was substantial at 1795.17 (95% CI: 10.04 to 321055.24), signifying a robust performance of DECT in making the differentiation. Conclusion: While DECT manifests impressive accuracy in differentiating cerebral hemorrhage from contrast extravasation after mechanical revascularization in acute ischemic stroke cases, the wide confidence intervals signify a degree of uncertainty in these estimates. Nevertheless, given its high diagnostic metrics, DECT can substantially influence post-intervention evaluations, paving the way for more informed clinical decisions and potentially reducing patient adverse outcomes. However, further studies with larger sample sizes might help refine these diagnostic estimates.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call