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Published on: November 27, 2016
Serologic Intestinal-Fatty Acid Binding Protein in Necrotizing Enterocolitis Diagnosis: A Meta-Analysis
Shupeng Cheng1, Jialin Yu1, Min Zhou1
1Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing 400014, China.
Background:
Previous studies showed that intestinal-fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) may be a valid and promising serologic biomarker for early diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
Objective:
To investigate the early diagnostic value of serologic I-FABP in NEC for the premature neonates.
Methods:
All major databases were searched from January 1, 1990, to May 1, 2015. We used Meta-Disc 1.4 and Revman5.0 software to calculate the diagnostic accuracy.
Results:
Seven studies with 444 subjects were identified. The pooled sensitivity of I-FABP was 0.67 for NEC I, 0.74 for NEC II, and 0.83 for NEC III, and the pooled specificity was 0.84, respectively, which showed a moderate diagnostic accuracy. The area under curve (AUC) for each stage was 0.75 (Q (⁎) = 0.69), 0.82 (Q (⁎) = 0.76), and 0.91 (Q (⁎) = 0.84). The diagnostic threshold analysis showed no significant difference in threshold effect. The metaregression showed that the cut-off value has the largest effect on heterogeneity. The funnel plots indicated the existence of publication bias.
Conclusion:
I-FABP is a valid serologic biomarker for early diagnosis in NEC for the premature neonates with a moderate accuracy.
