SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2024
Meta-analysis of the accuracy of the serum procalcitonin diagnostic test for osteomyelitis in children.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Decompressive Laminectomy for Neurological Complications of Spondylodiscitis: A Case Series of 15 Patients.Journal of personalized medicine · 2026Article
- Osteomyelitis.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026Review
- Role of biomarkers in pediatric sepsis: What evidence says?World journal of clinical pediatrics · 2026Review
- Managing Bone Infections Beyond Systemic Antibiotics: A Scoping Review.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Identification of miRNA Biomarkers Associated With Staphylococcal Musculoskeletal Infections.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThis study sought to assess the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive utility of serum procalcitonin (PCT) in the diagnosis of pediatric osteomyelitis.
methodsA systematic computer-based search was conducted for eligible literature focusing on PCT for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis in children. Records were manually screened according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager software 5.3, Meta-disc software1.4, STATA 12.0, and R 3.4 software.
resultA total of 5 investigations were included. Of these, 148 children with osteomyelitis were tested for bacterial cultures in PCT. For PCT in the diagnosis of pediatric osteomyelitis, diagnostic meta-analysis revealed a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.58 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49 to 0.68) and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.90 to 0.93) respectively. The PCT had the greatest area under the curve (AUC) at 0.80 for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis in children. The Deeks' regression test for asymmetry results indicated that there was no publication bias when evaluating publication bias (P = 0.90). CONCUSION: This study provided a comprehensive review of the literature on the use of PCT in pediatric osteomyelitis diagnosis. PCT may be used as a biomarker for osteomyelitis diagnosis; however, its sensitivity was low. It still needs to be validated by a large sample study.
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