Effectiveness of brain magnetic resonance imaging in the early diagnosis and characterization of dementias; a systematic review. / Efectividad de la resonancia magnética cerebral en el diagnóstico precoz y caracterización de las demencias: revisión sistemática.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a frequently used test in the diagnosis of dementia. The objective was to evaluate its effectiveness for the early diagnosis of dementia in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Original studies were selected from systematic reviews between 2011 and 2021, according to PRISMA 2020 criteria. QUADAS-2 and GRADE tools were used, and a meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: Final selection of 23 articles. Patient selection and index test had a high probability of bias. The certainty of the evidence was very low. In the hippocampus, sensitivity was 0.62 (95%CI 0.48-0.79) and specificity 0.70 (95%CI 0.55-0.80). In the temporal lobe, sensitivity was 0.65 (range 0.45) and specificity 0.69 (range 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to recommend routine brain MRI for the early diagnosis of dementia in patients with MCI.