Table 1 Characteristics of the eligible studies.

From: The “Central Vein Sign” on T2*-weighted Images as a Diagnostic Tool in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis using Individual Patient Data

Author (year of publication)

Duration of patient recruitment

Institution

Study design

MS patients (n)

Mean age (years)

Female:Male

Al-Zandi SH, et al.6 (2018)

2016.4–2017.3

Al-Imamain Al-Kadhymain Medical City, Iraq

NA

30

40.8 (22–58)

7:23

Campion T, et al.7 (2017)

NA

The Royal London Hospital, UK

retrospective

25

41

14:11

Cortese R, et al.8 (2018)

NA

Walton Centre and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UK

prospective

18

41.8

4:14

Darwish EAF, et al.9 (2018)

NA

Ain Shams University, Egypt

NA

9

33 (26–45)

2:7

Gabr RE, et al.10 (2018)

NA

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA

prospective

15

43 (26–62)

6:9

Gaitan MI, et al.11 (2013)

NA

National Institutes of Health, USA

NA

8

37.1

2:6

George IC, et al.12 (2016)

NA

National Institutes of Health, USA

NA

68

46

36:32

Grabner G, et al.13 (2011)

NA

Medical University of Vienna, Austria

NA

8

NA

NA

Hosseini Z, et al.14 (2018)

NA

University of Western Ontario, Canada

retrospective

17

39.4 (26–46)

6:11

Kau T, et al.15 (2013)

NA

Klinikum Klagenfurt, Austria

prospective

5

47 (20–57)

1:4

Lamot U, et al.16 (2017)

NA

University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia

retrospective

34

39.6 (21–66)

9:25

Lane JI, et al.17 (2015)

18 months

Mayo Clinic, USA

retrospective

21

46

5:16

Lummel N, et al.18 (2011)

NA

University of Munich, Germany

prospective

15

48.4

3:12

Luo J, et al.19 (2014)

NA

Washington University, USA

NA

30

51.5 (27–70)

14:16

Maggi P, et al.20 (2018)

2015.1–2017.6

Multicenter (four academic research hospitals)

NA

52

41 (20–65)

18:34

Mistry N, et al.21 (2016)

NA

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK

prospective

23

45.5 (25–66)

13:10

Oztoprak B, et al.22 (2016)

2013.9–2014.9

Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine, Turkey

retrospective

38

34.3

5:33

Sinnecker T, et al.23 (2012)

NA

NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité – Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Germany

prospective

18

41 (27–53)

7:11

Solomon AJ, et al.24 (2018)

NA

University of Vermont, USA

NA

20

43.5

2:18

Sparacia G, et al.25 (2018)

2016.12–2017.4

University of Palermo, Italy

retrospective

19

36.9 (19–53)

9:10

Tallantyre EC, et al.26 (2011)

2007.8–2009.8

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK

NA

28

46.5

16:12

  1. MS = multiple sclerosis, NA = not available.