Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2016 Mar 4:22:736-42.
doi: 10.12659/msm.895758.

Utility of MRI Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis

Hong Wang  1 , Jingxu Ma  1 , Liping Zhao  1 , Yunling Wang  1 , Xiaowen Jia  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Utility of MRI Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis

Hong Wang et al. Med Sci Monit. .

Abstract

BACKGROUND After successful utilization of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in detecting brain pathologies, it is now being examined for use in the detection of peripheral neuropathies. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic potentials of DTI in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). MATERIAL AND METHODS The literature search was performed in multiple electronic databases using a keyword search and final selection of the studies was based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. We performed a meta-analyses of mean differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) between CTS patient and healthy subjects. Publication bias detection was done with Begg's test and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore the source/s of higher heterogeneity and the authenticity of results. RESULTS FA was significantly lower in CTS patients in comparison with healthy subjects (mean and the difference [95% confidence interval] was -0.06 [-0.10, -0.02] (p=0.003). The ADC was significantly higher in CTS patients (mean difference [95% CI] was 0.10 [0.02, 0.18], p=0.02). Overall sensitivity of FA-based diagnosis was 82.82%, with 77.83% specificity. CONCLUSIONS DTI can be a valuable tool in diagnosing CTS.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A PRISMA flowchart of study screening and selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Funnel plot showing a significant publication bias (Begg’s test) and speculated missing studies (square dots) as assessed with trim and fill method.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest graph showing significantly lower FA in CTS patients in comparison with controls as an overall effect size of 12 studies.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest graph showing significantly higher ADC in CTS patients in comparison with controls as an overall effect size of 12 studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Basser PJ, Mattiello J, LeBihan D. MR diffusion tensor spectroscopy and imaging. Biophys J. 1994;66:259–67. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alexander AL, Lee JE, Lazar M, Field AS. Diffusion tensor imaging of the brain. Neurotherapeutics. 2007;4(3):316–29. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Basser PJ, Jones DK. Diffusion-tensor MRI: theory, experimental design and data analysis – A technical review. NMR Biomed. 2002;5:456–67. - PubMed
    1. Beaulieu C. The basis of anisotropic water diffusion in the nervous system – A technical review. NMR Biomed. 2002;15:435–55. - PubMed
    1. Basser PJ. Inferring microstructural features and the physiological state of tissues from diffusion-weighted images. NMR Biomed. 1995;7–8:333–44. - PubMed

Publication types