Abstract
PurposeTo identify the 100 top-cited meta-analyses of diagnostic accuracy studies published in radiology, medical imaging and nuclear medicine journals.MethodsA PubMed search with pre-defined criteria was performed. The 100 top-cited articles meta-analyses were retrieved, using a custom Python script and the Scopus Application Programming Interface (Elsevier). Publication, citation and affiliation details were extracted from each meta-analysis. No formal statistical analysis was performed.ResultsThe top meta-analysis was cited 394 times, the 100th meta-analysis 38 times. The USA was the top country represented in the papers (33 meta-analyses) followed by The Netherlands, China and Germany. The journal Radiology published 24 studies. The most common modality reported was positron emission tomography (PET) or PET computed tomography (36 instances), followed by magnetic resonance imaging (30 instances) and computed tomography (27 instances). Cardiac (19 meta-analyses), abdominal (18 meta-analyses), followed by neurological (12 meta-analyses) investigations were the most frequently encountered in the top 100 cited meta-analyses.ConclusionsThe 100 top-cited meta-analyses encompass a broad range of imaging modalities and body regions. This may comprise a useful resource for identifying influential evidence-based diagnostic accuracy information in radiology.
Highlights
IntroductionRapid advancements in medical imaging technologies have resulted in a corresponding proliferation of diagnostic modalities becoming available to clinicians for investigating many medical conditions
The 100 top-cited meta-analyses encompass a broad range of imaging modalities and body regions
Rapid advancements in medical imaging technologies have resulted in a corresponding proliferation of diagnostic modalities becoming available to clinicians for investigating many medical conditions
Summary
Rapid advancements in medical imaging technologies have resulted in a corresponding proliferation of diagnostic modalities becoming available to clinicians for investigating many medical conditions. Choice of modality is often influenced by factors including cost, local availability, familiarity and patient characteristics (e.g. age and comorbidities). Diagnostic performance remains fundamental to appropriate selection as it provides information on the likelihood of true and false positives, likelihood of true and false negatives, and post-test probability. Full list of author information is available at the end of the article of disease, all of which exhibit a strong relationship with downstream health outcomes. Choice of modality in a particular clinical situation is often associated with a trade-off between these variables. Screening tests should be cost-effective, sensitive and non-invasive, but come at the expense of false positives. Understanding diagnostic accuracy is critical for clinical decision making
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