Importance: Magnetic resonance (MR) enterography has the advantage over other techniques of being noninvasive, lacking ionizing radiation, and demonstrating excellent soft-tissue contrast to evaluate pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of MR enterography for detection of active inflammation in children and adolescents with known or suspected IBD.
Data sources: A search of MEDLINE and EMBASE up to January 2, 2017, was performed to identify studies. Search terms included child, pediatric, adolescent, Crohn disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and magnetic resonance enterography. The search was limited to English-language publications.
Study selection: Studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of MR enterography for detection of active inflammation in pediatric patients with known or suspected IBD were selected. Two reviewers independently assessed the eligibility of the selected articles.
Data extraction and synthesis: The study was performed and reported in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Pooled summary estimates of sensitivity and specificity were calculated using hierarchical logistic regression modeling.
Main outcomes and measures: The diagnostic performance of MR enterography for detection of active inflammation in pediatric patients with known or suspected IBD was the primary outcome. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were performed.
Results: Eighteen original articles involving a total of 687 patients were included. The summary sensitivity was 83% (95% CI, 75%-89%), the summary specificity was 93% (95% CI, 90%-95%), and the area under the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.93-0.97). The Higgins I2 statistics demonstrated substantial heterogeneity in terms of sensitivity (I2 = 84.1%) and specificity (I2 = 68.8%). Based on per-patient analysis, the summary sensitivity was 86% (95% CI, 78%-91%) and specificity was 91% (95% CI, 82%-96%). In meta-regression, among the various potential covariates, scanner manufacturer was associated with study heterogeneity.
Conclusions and relevance: Magnetic resonance enterography, which is a noninvasive, radiation-free modality, demonstrates high diagnostic performance in the diagnosis of active inflammation in pediatric patients with IBD, especially at the per-patient level.