In recent years, the role of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in the diagnosis of Budd-Chiari Syndrome (BCS) has been the focus of various clinical studies. The purpose of the present study was to perform a meta-analysis of the diagnostic performance of MRA in patients with BCS by using digital subtraction angiography as a reference method. The search strategy for relevant research articles was based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews, and literature databases (including PubMed, Medline and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) and reference lists of retrieved studies published from 2000 to 2016 were searched. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool was used to assess the methodological quality of these research studies by two reviewers independently. Summary estimates of the sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative likelihood ratio (LR+/-), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve of MRA in identifying BCS were obtained. The pooled MRA estimates had a sensitivity of 97.6% [95% confidence interval (CI), 95.1-99.0%], a specificity of 70.7% (95% CI, 54.5-83.9%), an LR+ of 3.163 (95% CI, 2.03-4.94) and an LR- of 0.045 (95% CI, 0.02-0.09). The overall DOR was 94.053 (95% CI, 32.71-270.41). The area under the SROC curve was 0.972. In conclusion, MRA is an accurate modality for evaluating BCS.
Keywords: Budd-Chiari syndrome; diagnostic accuracy; hepatic vein; magnetic resonance angiography; meta-analysis.