Medical Student University of Florida College of Medicine Gainesville, Florida, United States
Introduction: Portable computed tomography (CT) is useful for cranial imaging in the intensive care unit (ICU), where timely diagnosis is paramount, and transport to fixed scanners can consume resources and separate patients from crucial monitoring or life-sustaining equipment.
Methods: Using MOOSE and PRISMA guidelines, we abstracted information including populations, interventions, comparisons, outcomes, and study design (PICOS variables). DerSimonian-Laird random effects models were constructed for pooling data. I2 values and Forest plots were used to evaluate heterogeneity between studies. Egger’s test and funnel plots were used to evaluate publication bias. Center for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) levels of evidence and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) were used to assess quality of evidence.
Results: 184 articles were returned most recently on August 28, 2022. 20 items were included in our final review. 15 contained data suitable for meta-analysis. Studies were conducted from 1998 to 2017 and included more than 2365 patients and 16640 portable scans. We found no statistically significant differences between portable and fixed CT for radiation dose (p=) or diagnostic yield (p=). Patients undergoing portable CT had reduced complications compared to those undergoing fixed CT (p<, OR=, high GRADE). Portable CT was less expensive than fixed CT (p=, g=, high GRADE).
Conclusion : Differences in radiation exposure and diagnostic yield between portable CT and fixed CT were negligible. Portable CT reduced patient complications by a very large margin and was less expensive than fixed CT.
