MR imaging in cases of antenatal suspected appendicitis - a meta-analysis

Methods. aEuro integral We searched the PubMed database using keywords ''MRI'', ''appendicitis'', and ''pregnancy''. Five case series describing the role of MRI in cases of antenatal appendicitis were included. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values were calculated. Results. aEuro integral Two hundred twenty-nine patients were included in the study. In the first analysis in which non-diagnostic scans were excluded, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of MRI for diagnosing appendicitis were 95.0%%, 99.9%%, 90.4%%, and 99.5%%, respectively. In the second analysis, which included non-diagnostic scans, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 90.5%%, 98.6%%, 86.3%%, and 99.0%%, respectively Conclusions. aEuro integral MR imaging may be useful in cases of suspected antenatal appendicitis. Data are still limited and larger prospective studies are necessary to confirm this finding.