SynthesisEmergency radiology2026
Spot sign as a predictor of hematoma expansion and poor functional outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Emergency radiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe Spot Sign (SS) is a radiological finding on computed tomography angiography (CTA) in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between the SS and both hematoma expansion (HE) and functional outcomes by comparing ICH patients with and without SS.
methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library for studies of intracranial hemorrhage reporting the SS. The primary outcomes examined were functional status and hematoma expansion, secondary outcomes were mortality and initial hematoma volume. Statistical analysis was performed using RStudio (version 4.5.2), and heterogeneity was assessed with I² statistics. In addition, sensitivity analyses were performed, and publication bias was assessed through funnel plots and Egger's regression test.
resultsWe included 10 observational studies with a total of 2,832 patients with spontaneous ICH. Of these, 613 had SS, while 2,219 did not. The mean age was 66.31 ± 13.81 and 1,367 (58.6%) were male. Poor functional outcomes (OR 4.06, 95% CI 2.66─6.20, p < 0.0001, I² = 0.0%) and hematoma expansion (OR 7.17, 95% CI: 5.65─9.09, p < 0.0001, I² = 0.0%) were substantially higher in patients with SS, as well as the overall mortality rate (OR 4.14, 95% CI 2.45-6.99, p < 0.0001, I² = 65.4%). However, the initial hematoma volume (MD 11.54, 95% CI -11.43─34.52, p = 0.2082, I² = 80.1%) was not statistically different between groups. Furthermore, the leave-one-out sensitivity analyses showed that no single study exerted a disproportionate influence on the overall effect for the examined outcomes, and Egger's linear regression tests were not statistically significant for both primary outcomes.
conclusionThe presence of the SS is associated with higher rates of poor functional outcomes and hematoma expansion. Therefore, the SS represents a relevant radiological marker with potential to support early risk stratification and optimize patient management and treatment selection.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.