title: Diagnosis of bone metastases: a meta-analysis comparing ¹⁸FDG PET, CT, MRI and bone scintigraphy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To perform a meta-analysis to compare (18)FDG PET, CT, MRI and bone scintigraphy (BS) for the diagnosis of bone metastases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Databases including MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for relevant original articles published from January 1995 to January 2010. Software was used to obtain pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity and summary receiver operating characteristic curves (SROC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  67 articles consisting of 145 studies fulfilled all inclusion criteria. On per-patient basis, the pooled sensitivity estimates for PET, CT, MRI and BS were 89.7%, 72.9%, 90.6% and 86.0% respectively. PET=MRI>BS>CT. ("="indicated no significant difference, P > 0.05; ">" indicated significantly higher, P < 0.05). The pooled specificity estimates for PET, CT, MRI and BS were 96.8%, 94.8%, 95.4% and 81.4% respectively. PET = CT = MRI>BS. On per-lesion basis, the pooled sensitivity estimates for PET, CT, MRI and BS were 86.9%, 77.1%, 90.4% and 75.1% respectively. PET = MRI>BS>CT. The pooled specificity estimates for PET, CT, MRI and BS were 97.0%, 83.2%, 96.0% and 93.6% respectively. PET>MRI>BS>CT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PET and MRI were found to be comparable and both significantly more accurate than CT and BS for the diagnosis of bone metastases.
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, The first affiliated hospital of Soochow University, No188, Shizi Street, Suzhou 215006, People's Republic of China. hlyang@suda.edu.cn
authors: Hui-Lin
authors: HL
authors: Yang
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Liu
authors: Xi-Ming
authors: XM
authors: Wang
authors: Yong
authors: Y
authors: Xu
authors: Sheng-Ming
authors: SM
authors: Deng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D002648:Child; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18