Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance versus computed tomography angiography for renal artery stenosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) are commonly used for diagnosing renal arterial stenosis (RAS); however, the diagnostic value is yet controversial. The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic values of both methods. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, were searched for studies, since inception until October 2017. A total of four articles involving 486 subjects were included in the analysis. The summary of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) (AUC) were 0.70, 0.82, 14.54, 0.29, 63.80, and 0.81 for MRA-based diagnosis of RAS, respectively. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR, and AUC for CTA detecting RAS were 0.73, 0.96, 13.04, 0.29, 71.99, and 0.93, respectively. Gadolinium-enhanced MRA and CTA provide a satisfactory diagnostic accuracy, thereby playing a critical role in the diagnosis of RAS.