Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40358662›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal of surgery (London, England)2025

Diagnostic performance and safety for robotic-assisted bronchoscopy in pulmonary nodules: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Xiaoyan Li, Jingmin Bai, Xin Zhou, Ting Wang, Yuning Zhang, Yi Hu

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal of surgery (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. 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

6 authors.

Xiaoyan LiDepartment of Medical Oncology, Senior Department of Oncology, the Fifth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China.
Jingmin BaiDepartment of Radiotherapy, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China.
Xin ZhouDepartment of Medical Oncology, Senior Department of Oncology, the Fifth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China.
Ting WangMedical School, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Yuning ZhangDepartment of Medical Oncology, Senior Department of Oncology, the Fifth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China.
Yi HuDepartment of Medical Oncology, Senior Department of Oncology, the Fifth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRobotic-assisted bronchoscopy (RAB) is an emerging diagnostic tool that combines robotics and bronchoscopy. This meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively evaluate the performance and safety of RAB for pulmonary nodule diagnosis.

methodsPubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from their inception up to 4 November 2024. The quality of the studies was assessed by the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. Random and fixed effects models were used to estimate the pooled diagnosis yield in strict or intermediate criteria, sensitivity for malignancy, and complication rate of RAB in pulmonary nodule diagnosis, with rates (%) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

resultsIn total, 27 cohort studies were included. The pooled diagnostic yields of RAB for pulmonary nodules were 69.6% (95%CI: 61.8%-76.8%) for strict criteria and 86.6% (95%CI: 83.7%-89.2%) for intermediate criteria, with a sensitivity for malignancy of 85.4% (95%CI: 83.0%-87.7%). The pooled complication rate was estimated to be 3.0% (total pneumothorax, 2.0%; pneumothorax that required intervention, 0.5%; bleeding, 0.1%). The diagnostic yields were different ( P < 0.05) among subgroups of patients based on total number of biopsies (≤100 vs. >100; 83.6% vs. 69.6%), prevalence for malignancy (<60% vs. ≥60%; 66.6% vs. 83.1%), radial endobronchial ultrasound view (concentric vs. eccentric vs. invisible; 88.6% vs. 84.5% vs. 46.0%). A difference ( P = 0.005) in sensitivity for malignancy was observed between the group with average lesion sizes ≤20 mm and the group with sizes >20 mm (86.4% vs. 77.5%).

conclusionRAB may be effective and safe in pulmonary nodule diagnosis, offering promising prospects for clinical application. The heterogeneity of diagnostic yield may be driven by different diagnostic criteria. Moreover, the current studies of RAB in pulmonary nodule diagnosis are single-arm studies, and more large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed.

Indexed as

BronchoscopyLung NeoplasmsMultiple Pulmonary NodulesRobotic Surgical ProceduresSolitary Pulmonary NoduleHumansdiagnostic performancepulmonary nodulesrobotic-assisted bronchoscopysafety

Identifiers

PMID40358662
PMCPMC12165526

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.