From obstruction to ischemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the diagnostic accuracy of CT scans in identifying small and large bowel obstruction, underlying causes, and predicting critical complications in adults v1
This protocol presents the methodological framework for conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT) in identifying small and large bowel obstruction and associated complications such as ischemia and perforation in adult patients. The review aims to assess CT’s sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio compared to reference standards such as surgical, radiological, or endoscopic findings. Searches will be conducted in Ovid MEDLINE and Embase databases from inception to February 2025. Eligible studies will include adult populations (≥18 years) assessed with CT for suspected bowel obstruction. Data extraction will include study characteristics, CT modality, diagnostic metrics, and quality assessments using QUADAS-2. A bivariate random-effects meta-analysis will be performed to pool sensitivity and specificity estimates. The expected outcome is a comprehensive synthesis of CT’s diagnostic performance and identification of methodological heterogeneity across studies to inform future diagnostic guidelines.
Authors
- Ioannis Kyriazidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1348-5882)
- Suhaib J. S. Ahmad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9803-0651)
- Dominik A. Jakob (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5977-6135)
- Chetan D. Parmar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1238-6524)
- Wah Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2341-3310)
- Mohamed Abdulmajed
- Vincent Ribordy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7704-6758)
- Amila Cizmic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0925-2330)
- D. Wilkinson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6262-3575)
- David Laith Rawaf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1170-7039)
- Shahab Hajibandeh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3294-4335)
- Ahmed Abdelwahed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9674-8843)
- Mohammad Kermansaravi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8978-9359)
- Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2705-5170)
- Alethea Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9681-9755)
- Aaron Pritchard
- Sjaak Pouwels (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6390-7692)
- Asif Khalid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3256-2986)
- Edgar Gelber
- P. Cripps (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4767-3101)
- Ahmed Ahmed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1912-3857)
- Anurag Agarwal
- Graham Whiteley
- Anil K. Lala
- Miriam Khalil (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2220-8331)
- Ameer Khamise
- Iris Drvaric
Institutions
- Health Education England (GB)
Publication Details
- Published
- 2025-10-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.36wgqpy7xvk5/v1
- Primary Topic
- Intestinal and Peritoneal Adhesions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of Bern