Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 Patients
<h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">Radiological computed tomography (CT) reports often reveal incidental findings (IFs) unrelated to acute clinical concerns. These findings can range from clinically significant to benign variants, and their identification may have implicatio...
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| مؤلفون آخرون: | , , , |
| منشور في: |
2025
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إضافة وسم
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| _version_ | 1864513531517337600 |
|---|---|
| author | Amani N. Alansari (19743643) |
| author2 | Sandra Abusamaan (22437700) Tahyia Alyafei (22437703) Alaa Ahmed Elshanbary (11967181) Mohamed Sayed Zaazouee (10576593) |
| author2_role | author author author author |
| author_facet | Amani N. Alansari (19743643) Sandra Abusamaan (22437700) Tahyia Alyafei (22437703) Alaa Ahmed Elshanbary (11967181) Mohamed Sayed Zaazouee (10576593) |
| author_role | author |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv | Amani N. Alansari (19743643) Sandra Abusamaan (22437700) Tahyia Alyafei (22437703) Alaa Ahmed Elshanbary (11967181) Mohamed Sayed Zaazouee (10576593) |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv | 2025-09-13T09:00:00Z |
| dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv | 10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.09.022 |
| dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv | https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Prevalence_and_Clinical_Relevance_of_Incidental_CT_Findings_in_Pediatric_Trauma_A_Systematic_Review_and_Meta-Analysis_of_23706_Patients/30365248 |
| dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv | CC BY 4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv | Biomedical and clinical sciences Clinical sciences Paediatrics Health sciences Epidemiology Computed tomography CT Incidental Pediatrics Trauma Meta-analysis |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv | Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 Patients |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv | Text Journal contribution info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion text contribution to journal |
| description | <h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">Radiological computed tomography (CT) reports often reveal incidental findings (IFs) unrelated to acute clinical concerns. These findings can range from clinically significant to benign variants, and their identification may have implications for follow-up care, resource utilization, and patient outcomes. </p><h3>Objective</h3><p dir="ltr">This study aims to estimate the pooled IFs on CT scans in pediatric trauma patients and to classify these findings into clinically meaningful categories. </p><h3>Methods</h3><p dir="ltr">PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched from database inception up to April 2025 for studies reporting incidental findings on CT in pediatric trauma patients. Incidental findings were categorized as: category 1 (clinically significant requiring urgent follow-up), category 2 (indeterminate, requiring context-based evaluation), and category 3 (benign variants requiring no follow-up). Quantitative analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software, employing a random-effects model with 95% confidence intervals. </p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">Eleven studies were included in this meta-analysis. The overall pooled incidence of incidental findings on CT scans was 20.1% (95% CI: 9.6%–37.3%). Among incidental findings, 5.5% were classified as category 1, 36.7% as category 2, and 45.2% as category 3. Masses (tumors or nodules) were rare, constituting 0.8% (95% CI: 0.5%–1.3%), whereas cysts were more prevalent at 4.5% (95% CI: 2.8%–7.1%). Considerable heterogeneity was observed across studies (I² > 90% for most categories), likely reflecting differences in study design, populations, and reporting practices. </p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p dir="ltr">Incidental findings are highly prevalent in pediatric trauma CT scans. This underscores the importance of standardized reporting and appropriate follow-up protocols. Categorization of these findings provides clinically useful insights, though the substantial heterogeneity observed suggests that clinical context plays an important role.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: The Journal of Emergency Medicine<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.09.022" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.09.022</a></p> |
| eu_rights_str_mv | openAccess |
| id | Manara2_2f67139b0d929845eb3fa7e68239ab7c |
| identifier_str_mv | 10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.09.022 |
| network_acronym_str | Manara2 |
| network_name_str | Manara2 |
| oai_identifier_str | oai:figshare.com:article/30365248 |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| repository.mail.fl_str_mv | |
| repository.name.fl_str_mv | |
| repository_id_str | |
| rights_invalid_str_mv | CC BY 4.0 |
| spelling | Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 PatientsAmani N. Alansari (19743643)Sandra Abusamaan (22437700)Tahyia Alyafei (22437703)Alaa Ahmed Elshanbary (11967181)Mohamed Sayed Zaazouee (10576593)Biomedical and clinical sciencesClinical sciencesPaediatricsHealth sciencesEpidemiologyComputed tomographyCTIncidentalPediatricsTraumaMeta-analysis<h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">Radiological computed tomography (CT) reports often reveal incidental findings (IFs) unrelated to acute clinical concerns. These findings can range from clinically significant to benign variants, and their identification may have implications for follow-up care, resource utilization, and patient outcomes. </p><h3>Objective</h3><p dir="ltr">This study aims to estimate the pooled IFs on CT scans in pediatric trauma patients and to classify these findings into clinically meaningful categories. </p><h3>Methods</h3><p dir="ltr">PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched from database inception up to April 2025 for studies reporting incidental findings on CT in pediatric trauma patients. Incidental findings were categorized as: category 1 (clinically significant requiring urgent follow-up), category 2 (indeterminate, requiring context-based evaluation), and category 3 (benign variants requiring no follow-up). Quantitative analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software, employing a random-effects model with 95% confidence intervals. </p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">Eleven studies were included in this meta-analysis. The overall pooled incidence of incidental findings on CT scans was 20.1% (95% CI: 9.6%–37.3%). Among incidental findings, 5.5% were classified as category 1, 36.7% as category 2, and 45.2% as category 3. Masses (tumors or nodules) were rare, constituting 0.8% (95% CI: 0.5%–1.3%), whereas cysts were more prevalent at 4.5% (95% CI: 2.8%–7.1%). Considerable heterogeneity was observed across studies (I² > 90% for most categories), likely reflecting differences in study design, populations, and reporting practices. </p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p dir="ltr">Incidental findings are highly prevalent in pediatric trauma CT scans. This underscores the importance of standardized reporting and appropriate follow-up protocols. Categorization of these findings provides clinically useful insights, though the substantial heterogeneity observed suggests that clinical context plays an important role.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: The Journal of Emergency Medicine<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.09.022" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.09.022</a></p>2025-09-13T09:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.09.022https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Prevalence_and_Clinical_Relevance_of_Incidental_CT_Findings_in_Pediatric_Trauma_A_Systematic_Review_and_Meta-Analysis_of_23706_Patients/30365248CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/303652482025-09-13T09:00:00Z |
| spellingShingle | Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 Patients Amani N. Alansari (19743643) Biomedical and clinical sciences Clinical sciences Paediatrics Health sciences Epidemiology Computed tomography CT Incidental Pediatrics Trauma Meta-analysis |
| status_str | publishedVersion |
| title | Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 Patients |
| title_full | Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 Patients |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 Patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 Patients |
| title_short | Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 Patients |
| title_sort | Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Incidental CT Findings in Pediatric Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23706 Patients |
| topic | Biomedical and clinical sciences Clinical sciences Paediatrics Health sciences Epidemiology Computed tomography CT Incidental Pediatrics Trauma Meta-analysis |