SynthesisInternational orthopaedics2017
Diagnostic accuracy of alpha-defensin in periprosthetic joint infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in International orthopaedics, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative diagnostic accuracy of next-generation sequencing in different specimen types for periprosthetic joint infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2026Pooled it
- Synovial fluid calprotectin in diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection: A meta-analysis.International orthopaedics · 2022Pooled it
- Meta-analysis in periprosthetic joint infection: a global bibliometric analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2020Pooled it
- Does the Alpha Defensin ELISA Test Perform Better Than the Alpha Defensin Lateral Flow Test for PJI Diagnosis? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies.Clinical orthopaedics and related research · 2020Pooled it
- Laboratory-based versus qualitative assessment of α-defensin in periprosthetic hip and knee infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2020Pooled it
- Synovial fluid α-defensin in the diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection: the lateral flow test is an effective intraoperative detection method.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2019Pooled it
- Diagnostic Value of Synovial Fluid Biomarkers for Periprosthetic Joint Infection: A Prospective, Double-blind Trial.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2023Trial
- Complement factors C3 and C5 as tissue biomarkers for differentiating periprosthetic joint infection from aseptic implant failure.European journal of microbiology & immunology · 2026Article
- Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET)-related index as an indicator of periprosthetic joint infection.Journal of bone and joint infection · 2026Article
- A review of periostin in orthopedics.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2025Review
- Comparison of salivary statherin and beta-defensin-2 levels, oral health behaviors, and demographic factors in children with and without early childhood caries.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Diagnostic accuracy of alpha-defensin ELISA and lateral flow assays for periprosthetic joint infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of bone and joint infection · 2025Review
- Tryptophanyl tRNA synthetase is an alternative synovial biomarker for diagnosis of septic arthritis in knee joint.Knee surgery & related research · 2024Article
- Debridement, Antibiotics, and Implant Retention for a Rare Serratia marcescens Infection after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2024Article
- Periprosthetic Joint Infection: Current Clinical Challenges.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2023Article
- Executive Summary: Periprosthetic Joint Infection-Current Clinical Challenges.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2023Article
- Current relevance of biomarkers in diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection: an update.Arthroplasty (London, England) · 2023Review
- Evaluation of Synovial Calprotectin by Using a Lateral Flow Test for the Diagnosis of Prosthetic Joint Infections.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Will technology drive orthopaedic surgery in the future?International orthopaedics · 2022Article
- Future directions of postoperative spinal implant infections.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlpha-defensin, a novel biomarker, has shown great potential for the accurate diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in recent years: many published studies have presented encouraging results. Nevertheless, the diagnostic accuracy of alpha-defensin is inconsistent across published studies. Moreover, the optimum value of the diagnostic threshold urgently needs to be ascertained. This meta-analysis sought to estimate the precision of alpha-defensin for the diagnosis of PJI and, where possible, to confirm the threshold.
methodWe systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Knowledge, and ClinicalTrials.gov for relevant literature on alpha-defensin in the diagnosis of PJI (searching publications from the inception of each database until February 2017, with no language restriction). Pooled sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratios, and likelihood ratios were the indexes used for assessment, with the use of a random-effects model.
resultEleven of the 426 studies that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of alpha-defensin in periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) were included in this analysis. The pooled diagnostic sensitivity of alpha-defensin for PJI was 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87 to 0.99) and the specificity was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.91 to 0.97). Since there was substantial heterogeneity among studies, based on the inconsistency index (I
conclusionIn summary, this meta-analysis clearly lends support to the conclusion that alpha-defensin is a promising addition to the current methods for diagnosis of PJI.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.