Prevalence and outcomes of incidental imaging findings: umbrella review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the evidence on prevalence and outcomes of incidental imaging findings. DESIGN: Umbrella review of systematic reviews. DATA SOURCES: Searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE up to August 2017; screening of references in included papers. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Criteria included systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies that gave a prevalence of incidental abnormalities ("incidentalomas"). An incidental imaging finding was defined as an imaging abnormality in a healthy, asymptomatic patient or an imaging abnormality in a symptomatic patient, where the abnormality was not apparently related to the patient's symptoms. Primary studies that measured the prevalence of incidentalomas in patients with a history of malignancy were also considered in sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: >50%). CONCLUSIONS: There is large variability across different imaging techniques both in the prevalence of incidentalomas and in the prevalence of malignancy for specific organs. This umbrella review will aid clinicians and patients weigh up the pros and cons of requesting imaging scans and will help with management decisions after an incidentaloma diagnosis. Our results can underpin the creation of guidelines to assist these decisions. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42017075679.

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