Diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with fever of unknown origin: A meta-analysis

摘要

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to systematically review and perform a meta-analysis of published data on the diagnostic value of 18F- fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT in the diagnosis of patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive computer literature search of studies published through 31 March 2012 on the use of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with FUO was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases. The pooled sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with FUO on a per-patient-based analysis was calculated. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was calculated to measure the accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of patients with FUO. RESULTS: Fifteen studies comprising 595 patients with FUO were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/CT in detecting the cause of FUO was 85% (95% confidence interval 81-88%) on a per-patient-based analysis. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.88. CONCLUSION: 18F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated high sensitivity for the diagnosis of patients with FUO. 18F-FDG PET/CT is an accurate technique in this setting, but the possibility of false-positive results should be kept in mind. This meta-analysis demonstrated the value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of patients with FUO.