Meta-analysis of the diagnostic value of dual-energy computed tomography parameters for lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer

Abstract

Abstract Objective: This study was to investigate the diagnostic value of quantitative parameters of dual-energy computed tomography (CT) for diagnosing lymph nodes (LNs) metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, China Biology Medicine disc, WangFang, VIP, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched up to April 20, 2022. Studies that evaluated the diagnostic value of dual-energy CT for detectingLNs metastasis in PTC patients were included. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the diagnostic value of quantitative parameters based on dual-energy CT for LNs metastasis in PTC. The publication bias and sensitivity analysis were performed. Results: Twelve studies involving 1,522 PTC patients were included in this study. The iodine concentration (IC) in the venous phase (SMD: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.60, P=0.015), normalized iodine concentration (NIC) in venous phase (SMD: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.19, P<0.05), NIC in arterial phase (SMD: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.28, P<0.05), and the slope of the energy spectrum curve (λHU) in arterial phase (SMD: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.59 to 1.40, P<0.05) were associated with LNs metastasis in PTC. Conclusion: The parameters based on the dual-energy CT showed diagnostic value in diagnosing LN metastasis in PTC patients which may serve as a promising tool for the diagnosis of LN metastasis in PTC.