Pulmonary MRI in Interstitial Lung Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Thiago de Gaultier Paulo, João Martins da Fonseca, Liana F Corrêa et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies assessed pulmonary MRI for detecting interstitial lung disease (ILD), using CT as the primary reference standard. The qualitative synthesis included 25 studies and 959 participants; nine studies (n = 473) contributed to the quantitative analysis. Overall pooled sensitivity was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84-0.95) and specificity was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.73-0.93), with a summary SROC AUC of 0.939. In a predefined analysis of four studies using thin-slice UTE/ZTE protocols, sensitivity was 0.93 and specificity was 0.92.
Key findings
- Across the pooled studies, MRI sensitivity was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84-0.95; I 2 : 42.1%) and specificity was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.73-0.93; I 2 : 62.6%).
- The summary SROC AUC for MRI detection of ILD was 0.939.
- For thin-slice UTE/ZTE protocols in four studies, sensitivity was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.87-0.97; I 2 : 0.0%) and specificity was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.78-0.98; I 2 : 51.3%).
Why it matters
MRI avoids ionizing radiation, making its diagnostic performance relevant when imaging is repeated. The pooled results suggest it can detect ILD with high sensitivity and specificity relative to CT, while the protocol-specific findings indicate that acquisition technique may influence performance. MRI may therefore warrant consideration as a complementary imaging approach in selected contexts, rather than being assumed equivalent to CT.
What to keep in mind
The quantitative estimates came from nine observational studies, and heterogeneity was present for overall specificity and for specificity in the thin-slice UTE/ZTE analysis.