Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39644362›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of pediatrics2024

Computed tomography versus radiography for the detection of rib and skull fractures in paediatric suspected physical abuse: a systematic review.

Ahmed Mohammed, Eimear Mahon, Niamh Moore, Lorna Sweetman, Michael Maher, Patrick O'Regan, Andrew England, Mark F McEntee

Abstract readSystematic ReviewComparative Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of pediatrics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

8 authors.

Ahmed MohammedDiscipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. 121129186@umail.ucc.ie.
Eimear MahonDiscipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Niamh MooreDiscipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Lorna SweetmanDepartment of Medical Physics, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
Michael MaherDiscipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Patrick O'ReganDiscipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Andrew EnglandDiscipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Mark F McEnteeDiscipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The diagnosis of suspected physical abuse (SPA) remains a continuous challenge to paediatric healthcare. Several studies have reported that computed tomography (CT) improves the evaluation of SPA. This study aims to systematically review the diagnostic performance of CT compared to radiography in investigating skull and chest fractures for SPA. Multiple databases were searched, using PRISMA methods, from 2008 to August 2024 for relevant studies in English. Two reviewers independently screened and selected relevant studies using Covidence software. The QUADAS-2 tool was used for the quality assessment of the included papers. Sensitivity, specificity and the effective radiation dose of CT and radiography from the included studies were extracted. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were calculated with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). GRADE criteria were used to appraise the overall quality of the synthesis. Of the 4057 identified papers, 10 met the inclusion criteria; all 10 included skull and/or chest. The overall sensitivity and specificity of CT were 96.5% (95% CI, 94.9-97.7%) and 99.5% (95% CI, 99.1-99.8%), respectively. Compared to the sensitivity and specificity of radiography, 59.8% (95% CI, 56.2-63.3%) and 99.7% (95% CI, 99.3-99.8%), respectively. Conclusion: CT sensitivity is significantly higher than radiography in detecting rib and skull fractures for SPA. The effective dose for chest LDCT is comparable to that of radiography. Therefore, LDCT should be considered a potential replacement to radiography in SPA investigations for the chest and skull. What is Known • CT shows higher diagnostic performance than radiography in detecting skull and rib fractures in the diagnosis of SPA. What is New • When a head CT scan is acquired for SPA diagnosis at any age, the two-view skull radiograph can be safely eliminated from the Skeletal Survey protocol, likewise, Chest CT can replace chest radiography for SPA diagnosis of rib fractures. • The effective dose and image quality of low-dose chest CT is comparable to that of two-view chest radiography for SPA diagnosis.

Indexed as

Child AbuseRib FracturesSkull FracturesTomography, X-Ray ComputedChildHumansInfantSensitivity and SpecificityChestDiagnosisHeadNon-accidental injurySkeletal survey

Identifiers

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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.