Diagnostic Accuracy of Physical Examination for Popliteal Cysts: Meta-Analysis Results

A meta-analysis by Lu Tang published in March 2026 evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of physical examination for popliteal cysts. It includes 10 studies involving 542 patients (720 knee joints) and calculates pooled diagnostic metrics. The analysis was conducted using data from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases.

Use Cases

• Validate the diagnostic performance of physical examination based on pooled sensitivity and specificity metrics.
• Compare physical examination to imaging modalities like ultrasound and MRI based on the analysis results.
• Support clinical decision-making for preliminary screening of popliteal cysts based on the reported diagnostic odds ratio.
• Inform meta-analysis methodologies in medical diagnostics based on the use of QUADAS-2 and bivariate random-effects models.

Strengths

• Includes 10 studies with 542 patients (720 knee joints), providing a defined sample size.
• Calculates specific diagnostic metrics: sensitivity of 0.74, specificity of 0.88, and an area under the curve of 0.88.
• Assesses study quality using the QUADAS-2 tool and evaluates heterogeneity with the I² index.
• Performs sensitivity analysis to confirm result stability.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The data may reflect geographic or source bias inherent to the included databases.

Provenance

Source

Lu Tang

Collection Method

Meta-analysis of studies from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases.

Time Range

Studies searched from inception to November 30, 2025.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-19 06:48:01; freshness should be verified.