Abstract:

Objectives To evaluate the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS) in the assessment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Methods Eight databases were searched. The authors separately assessed the quality of each study using the quality assessment diagnostic accuracy studies-2(QUADAS-2) criteria. Stata 16.0 software was used to construct a receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC curve) and the area under curve(AUC) was calculated. The possible heterogeneous effects were explored through meta regression, and a subgroup analysis was performed. The publication bias was assessed. Results A total of 12 articles were screened, including 529 cases of lesions. The quality assessment showed that one study had a high risk in terms of flow and time interpretation bias, but all included studies had unclear bias in reference criteria. The meta-analysis showed the summary sensitivity and specificity were 0.88 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78-0.93] and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.70-0.93) respectively. The positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio were 5.6 (95% CI :2.7-11.4),0.15 (95% CI: 0.08-0.27), and 38 (95% CI: 14-103), respectively. The AUC of ROC curve was 0.93. There was no significant publication bias in Deeks’ Funnel plot. Conclusions The EUS shows a certain significance in guiding clinicians to diagnose GIST accurately.

Key words: Endoscopic ultrasonography, Gastrointestinal stromal tumors, Diagnostic value, Meta-analysis