Diagnostic performance of computed tomography angiography in peripheral arterial injury due to trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography angiography (CTA) in detecting arterial lesions in patients with suspected arterial injury of the upper or lower extremity due to trauma.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out. Medline and Embase were searched on August 13, 2012, for studies comparing CTA with surgery, digital subtraction angiography (DSA), or follow-up, which allowed extraction of data into two-by-two tables. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the QUADAS tool. Summary estimates of sensitivity and specificity of CTA in identifying or excluding arterial lesions were obtained using a bivariate model.

Results: This review included 11 studies making up a total of 891 trauma patients. The included studies were of moderate methodological quality and at risk of misclassification and verification bias. Some 4.2% of all CTA studies were non-diagnostic. The summary estimates of sensitivity and specificity of CTA were 96.2% (95% CI 93.5-97.8%) and 99.2% (95% CI 96.8-99.8%), respectively.

Conclusion: Despite methodological flaws, the excellent estimates of sensitivity and specificity indicate that CTA is an accurate modality for evaluating arterial lesions in patients with extremity trauma and can replace DSA.

Keywords: Computed tomography angiography; Meta-analysis; Peripheral arterial injury; Systematic review.