Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24939056›Full record

SynthesisNeurocritical care2014

Computed tomography angiography in the diagnosis of brain death: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Andreas H Kramer, Derek J Roberts

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neurocritical care, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.8field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Brain death: a clinical overview.Journal of intensive care · 2022
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Observational
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. The Role of Neuroimaging in the Determination of Brain Death.Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging · 2018
    Article
  17. Accuracy of Computed Tomographic Perfusion in Diagnosis of Brain Death: A Prospective Cohort Study.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2018
    Article
  18. Ancillary Studies in Evaluating Pediatric Brain Death.Journal of pediatric intensive care · 2017
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Andreas H KramerDepartments of Critical Care Medicine & Clinical Neurosciences, Foothills Hospital, University of Calgary, McCaig Tower, 3134 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, AB, T2N 2T9, Canada, andreas.kramer@calgaryhealthregion.ca.
Derek J Roberts
University of Calgary · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhysiological instability and confounding factors may interfere with the clinical diagnosis of brain death. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) has been suggested as a potential ancillary test for confirmation of brain death, but its diagnostic accuracy remains unclear.

methodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL for studies comparing CTA with other accepted methods of diagnosing brain death (clinical or radiographic). Summary estimates of diagnostic accuracy were computed using random effects models. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were performed to assess associations between CTA sensitivity and study or patient characteristics.

resultsTwelve studies, involving 541 patients, were included. If the CTA criterion for brain death was complete lack of opacification of intracranial vessels, then the pooled sensitivity was 62 % (50-74 %) for venous phase and 84 % (75-94 %) for arterial phase imaging. The sensitivity of CTA was higher when the criterion for brain death involved absence of opacification of internal cerebral veins, either alone (99 %, 97-100 %) or in combination with lack of flow to the distal middle cerebral artery branches (85 %, 77-93 %). CTA sensitivity was not influenced by different reference standards (clinical vs. radiographic) or predominant diagnostic category (stroke vs. brain trauma). Specificity of CTA could not be adequately determined from the existing data.

conclusionMany patients who progress to brain death by accepted clinical or radiographic criteria have persistent opacification of proximal intracranial vessels when CTA is performed. The specificity of CTA in the diagnosis of brain death has not been adequately assessed. Routine use of CTA as an ancillary test in the diagnosis of brain death is therefore not recommended until diagnostic criteria have undergone further refinement and prospective validation. Absence of opacification of the internal cerebral veins appears to be the most promising angiographic criterion.

Indexed as

Cerebral AngiographyBrainBrain DeathCerebral ArteriesCerebral VeinsHumansSensitivity and SpecificityTomography, X-Ray Computed

Identifiers

PMID24939056
OpenAlexW2017866150

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.