Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39680295›Full record

SynthesisEmergency radiology2025

Diagnostic performance of neural network algorithms in skull fracture detection on CT scans: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Guive Sharifi, Ramtin Hajibeygi, Seyed Ali Modares Zamani, Ahmed Mohamedbaqer Easa, Ashkan Bahrami, Reza Eshraghi, Maral Moafi, Mohammad Javad Ebrahimi, Mobina Fathi, Arshia Mirjafari and 5 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Emergency radiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing 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

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

  1. Machine Learning-Driven radiomics on 18 F-FDG PET for glioma diagnosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Cancer imaging : the official publication of the International Cancer Imaging Society · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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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

15 authors.

Guive SharifiSkull base Research Center, Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ramtin HajibeygiTehran University of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
Seyed Ali Modares ZamaniDepartment of Neurosurgery, Iranian Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Ahmed Mohamedbaqer EasaDepartment of Radiology Technology, Collage of Health and Medical Technology, Al-Ayen Iraqi University, Thi-Qar, 64001, Iraq.
Ashkan BahramiKashan University of Medical Sciences, Kāshān, Iran.
Reza EshraghiKashan University of Medical Sciences, Kāshān, Iran.
Maral MoafiCell Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Javad EbrahimiCell Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mobina FathiSkull base Research Center, Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Arshia MirjafariDepartment of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Janine S ChanKeck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Irene Dixe de Oliveira SantoDepartment of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, CT, USA.
Mahsa Asadi AnarCollege of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Omidvar RezaeiSkull base Research Center, Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Long H TuDepartment of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, CT, USA. long.tu@yale.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimThe potential intricacy of skull fractures as well as the complexity of underlying anatomy poses diagnostic hurdles for radiologists evaluating computed tomography (CT) scans. The necessity for automated diagnostic tools has been brought to light by the shortage of radiologists and the growing demand for rapid and accurate fracture diagnosis. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are a potential new class of medical imaging technologies that use deep learning (DL) to improve diagnosis accuracy. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess how well CNN models diagnose skull fractures on CT images.

methodsPubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for studies published before February 2024 that used CNN models to detect skull fractures on CT scans. Meta-analyses were conducted for area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Egger's and Begg's tests were used to assess publication bias.

resultsMeta-analysis was performed for 11 studies with 20,798 patients. Pooled average AUC for implementing pre-training for transfer learning in CNN models within their training model's architecture was 0.96 ± 0.02. The pooled averages of the studies' sensitivity and specificity were 1.0 and 0.93, respectively. The accuracy was obtained 0.92 ± 0.04. Studies showed heterogeneity, which was explained by differences in model topologies, training models, and validation techniques. There was no significant publication bias detected.

conclusionCNN models perform well in identifying skull fractures on CT scans. Although there is considerable heterogeneity and possibly publication bias, the results suggest that CNNs have the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy in the imaging of acute skull trauma. To further enhance these models' practical applicability, future studies could concentrate on the utility of DL models in prospective clinical trials.

Indexed as

Neural Networks, ComputerSkull FracturesTomography, X-Ray ComputedAlgorithmsHumansSensitivity and SpecificityConvolutional Neural NetworksDeep LearningFractureSkull

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.