Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34872892›Full record

SynthesisThe Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology2021

Diagnostic Accuracy of Three-Dimensional Endoanal Ultrasound for Anal Fistula: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Jin Li, Shao-Na Chen, Yun-Yong Lin, Zhi-Min Zhu, Da-Lin Ye, Fei Chen, Shao-Dong Qiu

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–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

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. [Imaging in chronic inflammatory bowel disease].Innere Medizin (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025
    Review
  8. Perianal Fistula; from Etiology to Treatment - A Review.Middle East journal of digestive diseases · 2024
    Review
  9. Article
  10. 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

7 authors.

Jin LiDepartment of Ultrasound, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Shao-Na ChenDepartment of Ultrasound, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Yun-Yong LinDepartment of Ultrasound, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Zhi-Min ZhuDepartment of Ultrasound, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Da-Lin YeDepartment of Ultrasound, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Fei ChenDepartment of Ultrasound, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Shao-Dong QiuDepartment of Ultrasound, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnal fistula is a relatively common anorectal disease. An accurate assessment of the main anal fistula type and the anatomy of the internal opening before surgery is necessary to obtain the best surgical results. Whether three-dimensional endoanal ultrasound (3D-EAUS) should be used as the first-line diagnostic tool for anal fistula is still controversial. The purpose of this study is to conduct a meta-analysis of the published literature on 3D-EAUS and anal fistula, and compare the results of 3D-EAUS and surgery to evaluate the diagnostic value of 3D-EAUS for anal fistula.

methodsAn online search of databases in English included PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. After the diagnostic accuracy of 3D-EAUS of all anal fistula types was integrated, a single-group rate meta-analysis was performed; we analyzed 3D-EAUS separately for the diagnosis of different anal fistula types, and conducted a meta-analysis of test accuracy. The analysis combined sensitivity, specificity, and the respective 95% CI, to draw a summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC), and estimate the area under curve (AUC).

resultsBased on the inclusion criteria, we selected 8 studies covering 1057 cases of anal fistula and 548 cases of internal opening. The meta-analysis data show that 3D-EAUS has a total accuracy rate of 91% (95% CI, 88-94%). It has high sensitivity and specificity for different anal fistula classifications. The SROC curves for anal fistula internal openings were plotted, and the AUC was calculated to be 0.86 (95% CI, 0.83-0.89).

conclusions3D-EAUS can be used as the first-line diagnostic tool for anal fistula, because it has a high diagnostic accuracy for most anal fistulas. However, due to the insufficient diagnostic accuracy of 3D-EAUS for complex fistulas, 3D-EAUS combined with MRI examination can be used to more accurately detect the secondary extension of complex fistulas, so as to describe the complete anatomy of the fistula in more detail.

Indexed as

EndosonographyImaging, Three-DimensionalRectal FistulaHumansReproducibility of Results

Identifiers

PMID34872892
PMCPMC8975359

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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.