Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31288826›Full record

SynthesisItalian journal of pediatrics2019

Diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin for overall and complicated acute appendicitis in children: a meta-analysis.

Wei Cui, Haipeng Liu, Hong Ni, Xianhui Qin, Liran Zhu

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Italian journal of pediatrics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  5. Role of biomarkers in pediatric sepsis: What evidence says?World journal of clinical pediatrics · 2026
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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

5 authors.

Wei CuiDepartment of Scientific Research and Education, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, Wangjiang Road, Hefei, 230051, Anhui, China.
Haipeng LiuDepartment of Scientific Research and Education, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, Wangjiang Road, Hefei, 230051, Anhui, China. itishaipeng@yeah.net.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4814-1959
Hong NiDepartment of Scientific Research and Education, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, Wangjiang Road, Hefei, 230051, Anhui, China.
Xianhui QinNational Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease; State Key Laboratory for Organ Failure Research; Renal Division, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Liran ZhuDepartment of Scientific Research and Education, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, Wangjiang Road, Hefei, 230051, Anhui, China.

Funding

Key research and development project of Anhui Province, China 1704a0802172
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiagnostic value of procalcitonin (PCT) for acute appendicitis (AA) has been evaluated in adult patients, but the application in children remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of PCT for overall and complicated AA in children.

methodsThe PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang were searched along with reference lists of relevant articles up to January 2018 without language restrictions. Original articles that reported the performance of PCT in the diagnosis of pediatric AA and associated complications were selected. To assess the diagnostic value of PCT, sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratios (DORs), summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the curve (AUC), and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated.

resultsSeven qualifying studies (504 confirmed AA and 368 controls) from 6 countries for overall AA and 4 studies (187 complicated AA and 185 uncomplicated AA) for complicated AA from 3 countries were identified. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of PCT for the diagnosis of pediatric AA were 0.62 (95% CI: 0.57-0.66) and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82-0.89), respectively. The DOR was 21.4 (95% CI: 3.64-126.1) and the AUC was 0.955. PCT was more accurate in diagnosing complicated appendicitis, with a pooled sensitivity of 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84-0.93), specificity of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.86-0.94), and DOR of 76.73 (95% CI: 21.6-272.9).

conclusionThis meta-analysis showed that PCT may have potential value in diagnosing pediatric AA. Moreover, PCT had greater diagnostic value in identifying pediatric complicated appendicitis.

Indexed as

AppendicitisBiomarkersChildHumansProcalcitoninBiomarkersProcalcitoninAcute appendicitisDiagnosisMeta-analysisPediatricProcalcitonin

Identifiers

PMID31288826
PMCPMC6617950

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Registered trials

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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.