title: Diagnostic accuracy of the soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1/placental growth factor ratio for preeclampsia: a meta-analysis based on 20 studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the accuracy of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1(sFlt-1)/placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio to predict preeclampsia (PE).
  
  
  METHODS
  A search in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library was conducted for human studies without language restriction. We included the studies reported sufficient data to reconstruct the diagnostic 2 × 2 table of sFlt-1/PlGF with testing of PlGF and sFlt-1 in serum or plasma. Two reviewers independently screened the articles. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. Unpublished data were requested from the authors of the study by email.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty studies with 28 groups of women with different gestational ages were included in our study. The pooled diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of sFlt-1/PlGF were 0.78 and 0.84 with the area under the SROC curve (AUC) of 0.88. In subgroup analyses, the diagnostic value of sFlt-1/PlGF for early-onset PE is highest with a pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 241 and AUC of 0.98.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The accuracy of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio for screening PE was moderate and was high for early-onset PE. High-quality studies are needed to confirm their usefulness in prediction of PE in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
authors.forename: Yuxiu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Ailing
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yufang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000097:blood; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; C501162:FLT1 protein, human; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1