scholarly journals The diagnostic performance of chest radiographs for lung malignancy in symptomatic primary-care populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BJR|Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 20210005
Author(s):  
Louis Dwyer-Hemmings ◽  
Cassandra Fairhead

Objectives: To synthesise existing evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of chest radiographs to detect lung malignancy in symptomatic patients presenting to primary care. Methods: A systematic review was performed and reported in accordance with the PRISMA framework, using a protocol prospectively registered with the PROSPERO database (CRD42020212450). Nine databases were searched for relevant studies. Data were extracted and chest radiograph sensitivity and specificity calculated where possible. Risk of bias was assessed using a validated tool. Random effects meta-analysis was performed. Results: Ten studies were included. Sensitivity meta-analysis was performed in five studies which were not the high risk of bias, with summary sensitivity of 81% (95% CI: 74–87%). Specificity could be calculated in five studies, with summary specificity of 68% (95% CI: 49–87%). Conclusions: The sensitivity of chest radiographs for detecting lung malignancy in primary care is relatively low. Physicians and policymakers must consider strategies to attenuate the possibility of false reassurance with a negative chest radiograph for this significant pathology. Options include widening access to cross-sectional imaging in primary care; however, any intervention would need to take into account the medical and financial costs of possible over-investigation. Prospective trials with long-term follow-up are required to further evaluate the risks and benefits of this strategy. Advances in knowledge: The chest radiograph has a sensitivity of 81% and specificity of 68% for lung malignancy in a symptomatic primary-care population. A negative chest radiograph does not exclude lung cancer, and physicians should maintain a low threshold to consider specialist referral or cross-sectional imaging.

Author(s):  
Daniel Almeida Ferreira Barbosa ◽  
Lucca Reis Mesquita ◽  
Marcela Maria Costa Borges ◽  
Diego Santiago de Mendonça ◽  
Francisco Samuel Rodrigues de Carvalho ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabana F Pasha ◽  
Marco Pennazio ◽  
Emanuele Rondonotti ◽  
Douglas Wolf ◽  
Matthew R Buras ◽  
...  

This systematic review showed lower capsule retention rates in suspected and established Crohn’s disease than older literature. Retention rates were further reduced after patency capsule and cross-sectional imaging. Retention rates were also lower in pediatric compared with adult Crohn’s disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. e241644
Author(s):  
Paul Jenkins ◽  
Prageeth Dissanayake ◽  
Richard Riordan

Abnormal communications between the systemic and pulmonary venous systems are rare but can present as a opacity on chest radiograph. A solitary vessel communicating as a fistula directly between the systemic arterial circulation and the pulmonary venous system is not widely described. These may have significant implications in the long-term cardiovascular health of an individual acting as a left to right shunt. There is no clear consensus as to the management, but surgical management and endovascular embolisation have been successfully used. We present a case where a systemic arteriaopulmonary fistula originating from the abdominal aorta and connecting to the right inferior pulmonary vein manifested as an incidental finding on a chest radiograph and was further evaluated on cross-sectional imaging in a young patient. Chest radiographs are non-specific and it is important to be aware of the less frequent but important pathologies that can be picked up on plain chest radiographs, which inturn should warrant further investigation. This is presented in conjunction with a review of the available literature along with a discussion regarding the differential diagnosis and management applicable to the general clinician.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Dominic Quinn ◽  
David Byrne ◽  
Tom Fahey ◽  
Rose Anne Kenny ◽  
Christine McGarrigle ◽  
...  

Background: Potentially inappropriate care can result from overuse or underuse of treatments, tests, or procedures. Overuse is defined as the use of health services with no clear benefit to the recipient or where harms outweigh benefits and/or costs of care. Underuse is defined as failure to deliver an effective and cost-effective healthcare intervention. Cardiovascular procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, carotid endarterectomy, coronary angiography, and coronary angioplasty (with/without stenting) are potentially both underused and overused. This systematic review aims to identify rates of potential overuse and underuse of these cardiovascular procedures and explore any associated patient or healthcare system factors. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search of MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and the Cochrane library will be conducted using a predefined search strategy.  Eligible studies for inclusion will examine rates of overuse and underuse of cardiovascular procedures, measured against national/international guidelines, for adults aged ≥18 years. Primary observational studies including cross-sectional and cohort studies will be included. Titles, abstracts, and full texts will be screened for inclusion by two reviewers. Data will be extracted using a standardised form. Risk of bias for all included studies will be assessed using a modified version of the Hoy risk of bias tool. Where adequate data exists, and if statistically appropriate, meta-analyses will be conducted. If statistical pooling of the data is not possible, the findings will be narratively summarised focusing on the review’s objectives. Conclusion: This systematic review will examine overuse and underuse of cardiovascular procedures for adults.  The results will help inform policy makers, researchers, patients, and clinicians in the appropriate use of these procedures, in line with international guidelines. Registration: This protocol has been submitted for registration on PROSPERO (CRD42021239041).


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-218
Author(s):  
W Michael Hooten ◽  
Rajat N Moman ◽  
Jodie Dvorkin ◽  
E Morgan Pollard ◽  
Robalee Wonderman ◽  
...  

BackgroundSmoking adversely impacts pain-related outcomes of spinal cord stimulation (SCS). However, the proportion of SCS patients at risk of worse outcomes is limited by an incomplete knowledge of smoking prevalence in this population. Thus, the primary aim of this systematic review is to determine the prevalence of smoking in adults with chronic pain treated with SCS.MethodsA comprehensive search of databases from 1 January 1980 to 3 January 2019 was conducted. Eligible study designs included (1) randomized trials; (2) prospective and retrospective cohort studies; and (3) cross-sectional studies. The risk of bias was assessed using a tool specifically developed for prevalence studies. A total of 1619 records were screened, 19 studies met inclusion criteria, and the total number of participants was 10 838.ResultsThirteen studies had low or moderate risk of bias, and six had a high risk of bias. All 19 studies reported smoking status and the pooled prevalence was 38% (95% CI 30% to 47%). The pooled prevalence in 6 studies of peripheral vascular diseases was 56% (95% CI 42% to 69%), the pooled prevalence of smoking in 11 studies of lumbar spine diagnoses was 28% (95% CI 20% to 36%) and the pooled prevalence in 2 studies of refractory angina was 44% (95% CI 31% to 58%).ConclusionsThe estimated prevalence of smoking in SCS patients is 2.5 times greater than the general population. Future research should focus on development, testing and deployment of tailored smoking cessation treatments for SCS patients.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e036633
Author(s):  
Ethan Sahker ◽  
Masatsugu Sakata ◽  
Rie Toyomoto ◽  
Chiyoung Hwang ◽  
Kazufumi Yoshida ◽  
...  

IntroductionDrug misuse is associated with significant global morbidity, mortality, economic costs and social costs. Many primary care facilities have integrated drug misuse screening and brief intervention (BI) into their usual care delivery. However, the efficacy of BI for drug misuse in primary care has not been substantiated through meta-analysis. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the efficacy of BI for drug misuse in primary care settings.Methods and analysisWe will include all randomised controlled trials comparing primary care-delivered BI for drug misuse with no intervention or minimal screening/assessment and usual care. Primary outcomes are (1) drug use frequency scores and (2) severity scores at intermediate follow-up (4–8 months). We will retrieve all studies through searches in CENTRAL, Embase, MEDLINE and PsycINFO until 31 May 2020. The reference list will be supplemented with searches in trial registries (eg, www.clinicaltrials.gov) and through relevant existing study reference lists identified in the literature. We will conduct a random-effect pairwise meta-analysis for primary and secondary outcomes. We will assess statistical heterogeneity though visual inspection of a forest plot and calculate I2 statistics. We will assess risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool V.2 and evaluate the certainty of evidence through the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Sensitivity analyses will account for studies with control group variations and studies with a high risk of bias. If heterogeneity is present, subgroup analyses will consider patient variables of age, sex/gender, race/ethnicity, per cent insured, baseline severity and primary drug misused.Ethics and disseminationThis study will use published aggregate data and will not require ethical approval. Findings will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal.


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