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Meta-Analysis
. 2016 Mar;47(3):695-700.
doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.115.012012. Epub 2016 Feb 4.

Predicting Intracerebral Hemorrhage Growth With the Spot Sign: The Effect of Onset-to-Scan Time

Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Predicting Intracerebral Hemorrhage Growth With the Spot Sign: The Effect of Onset-to-Scan Time

Dar Dowlatshahi et al. Stroke. 2016 Mar.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Hematoma expansion after acute intracerebral hemorrhage is common and is associated with early deterioration and poor clinical outcome. The computed tomographic angiography (CTA) spot sign is a promising predictor of expansion; however, frequency and predictive values are variable across studies, possibly because of differences in onset-to-CTA time. We performed a patient-level meta-analysis to define the relationship between onset-to-CTA time and frequency and predictive ability of the spot sign.

Methods: We completed a systematic review for studies of CTA spot sign and hematoma expansion. We subsequently pooled patient-level data on the frequency and predictive values for significant hematoma expansion according to 5 predefined categorized onset-to-CTA times. We calculated spot-sign frequency both as raw and frequency-adjusted rates.

Results: Among 2051 studies identified, 12 met our inclusion criteria. Baseline hematoma volume, spot-sign status, and time-to-CTA were available for 1176 patients, and 1039 patients had follow-up computed tomographies for hematoma expansion analysis. The overall spot sign frequency was 26%, decreasing from 39% within 2 hours of onset to 13% beyond 8 hours (P<0.001). There was a significant decrease in hematoma expansion in spot-positive patients as onset-to-CTA time increased (P=0.004), with positive predictive values decreasing from 53% to 33%.

Conclusions: The frequency of the CTA spot sign is inversely related to intracerebral hemorrhage onset-to-CTA time. Furthermore, the positive predictive value of the spot sign for significant hematoma expansion decreases as time-to-CTA increases. Our results offer more precise risk stratification for patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage and will help refine clinical prediction rules for intracerebral hemorrhage expansion.

Keywords: CT angiography; cerebral hemorrhage; hematoma expansion; intracerebral hemorrhage; spot sign.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Frequency of spot sign by time strata (frequency-weighted %); I2=283.5, p<0.001. The cohort was N=1176, consisting of all patients with baseline CTA spot status.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Modeled probability of significant ICH growth as a function of time from onset to CT angiography. The probability of ICH growth over time was stratified by the spot sign using a logistic regression model with time and spot-sign status as covariates. The inset shows a population restricted to early imaging times.

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