Diagnostic value of interferon-γ-induced protein of 10kDa for tuberculous pleurisy: A meta-analysis

The accurate diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy is still a clinical challenge. Many studies reported that interferon-γ-induced protein of 10kDa (IP-10) plays a role in diagnosing tuberculous pleurisy, but with considerable variance of results. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the overall diagnostic accuracy of IP-10 for tuberculous pleurisy.

PubMed, EMBASE, and other databases were searched for studies examining accuracy of pleural IP-10 for diagnosing tuberculous pleurisy. Related data were extracted and sensitivity/specificity, positive/negative likelihood ratio (PLR/NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were pooled. Summary receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were performed and calculated to summarize the overall test performance.

Fourteen studies involving 1382 subjects met inclusion criteria, including 715 cases of tuberculous pleurisy and 667 controls. Summary estimates of the diagnostic performance of the IP-10 for tuberculous pleurisy were listed as follows: sensitivity, 0.84 (95%CI 0.81 to 0.87); specificity, 0.90 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.92); PLR, 7.96 (95% CI 5.59 to 11.32); NLR, 0.19 (95% CI 0.15 to 0.24); DOR, 49.82 (95% CI 28.08 to 88.38); and AUC 0.94. No publication bias was detected.

Pleural IP-10 is a useful diagnostic marker for tuberculous pleurisy. Nevertheless, its result should be interpreted together with the results of conventional test and clinical information of patients.