SynthesisActa neurochirurgica2022
Prevalence of incidental intracranial findings on magnetic resonance imaging: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Acta neurochirurgica, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Incidental findings from cone-beam computed tomography in children and adolescents: a systematic review.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2025Pooled it
- Incidence of cerebral cavernous malformations among adults in Scotland: a prospective, population-based study.Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry · 2026Article
- Patient-reported headache before and after surgery for pituitary adenomas: a longitudinal single-centre study.Acta neurochirurgica · 2026Article
- Incidence, mortality, and cumulative risk of cancer in adolescents and young adults in Switzerland.European journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Pituitary incidentaloma: a Pituitary Society international consensus guideline statement.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2025Review
- The Prevalence and Significance of Incidental Positron Emission Tomography Findings in the Brain Using Radiotracers Other than [Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Exploring the role of volumetric and radiological features in meningioma behaviour and follow-up strategies.Brain & spine · 2025Article
- High-Resolution MRA Cerebrovascular Findings in a Tri-Ethnic Population.AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology · 2024Article
- Incidental brain tumor findings in children: prevalence, natural history, management, controversies, challenges, and dilemmas.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2024Review
- Radiologically isolated syndromes: to treat or not to treat?Journal of neurology · 2024Review
- Incidence, management, and outcome of incidental meningioma: what has happened in 10 years?Journal of neuro-oncology · 2023Article
- Meningioma in the elderly.Neuro-oncology advances · 2023Article
- The Efficacy and Tolerability of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Psychiatric Patients with Arachnoid Cysts: A Retrospective Chart Study.Brain sciences · 2022Article
- Beyond the "3 Ps": A critical appraisal of the non-endocrine manifestations of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAs the volume and fidelity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain increase, observation of incidental findings may also increase. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of various incidental findings.
methodsPubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and SCOPUS were searched from inception to May 24, 2021. We identified 6536 citations and included 35 reports of 34 studies, comprising 40,777 participants. A meta-analysis of proportions was performed, and age-stratified estimates for each finding were derived from age-adjusted non-linear models.
resultsVascular abnormalities were observed in 423/35,706 participants (9.1/1000 scans, 95%CI 5.2-14.2), ranging from 2/1000 scans (95%CI 0-7) in 1-year-olds to 16/1000 scans (95%CI 1-43) in 80-year-olds. Of these, 204/34,306 were aneurysms (3.1/1000 scans, 95%CI 1-6.3), which ranged from 0/1000 scans (95%CI 0-5) at 1 year of age to 6/1000 scans (95%CI 3-9) at 60 years. Neoplastic abnormalities were observed in 456/39,040 participants (11.9/1000 scans, 95%CI 7.5-17.2), ranging from 0.2/1000 scans (95%CI 0-10) in 1-year-olds to 34/1000 scans (95%CI 12-66) in 80-year-olds. Meningiomas were the most common, in 246/38,076 participants (5.3/1000 scans, 95%CI 2.3-9.5), ranging from 0/1000 scans (95%CI 0-2) in 1-year-olds to 17/1000 scans (95%CI 4-37) in 80-year-olds. Chiari malformations were observed in 109/27,408 participants (3.7/1000 scans, 95%CI 1.8-6.3), pineal cysts in 1176/32,170 (9/1000 scans, 95%CI 1.8-21.4) and arachnoid cysts in 414/36,367 (8.5/1000 scans, 95%CI 5.8-11.8).
conclusionIncidental findings are common on brain MRI and may result in substantial resource expenditure and patient anxiety but are often of little clinical significance.
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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.