| Ref ID | 179 |
| First Author | S. Morbelli |
| Journal | EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MOLECULAR IMAGING |
| Year Of Publishing | 2015 |
| URL | https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00259-015-3098-2.pdf |
| Keywords |
• Radiology • Mental health • Cochrane • Searching • Heterogeneity • Error • Missing data |
| Problem(s) |
• Perpetuates citation of poor quality primary study data • Inadequate analysis of heterogeneity • Errors in study inclusion or omission of relevant studies • Outdated searches • Weaknesses identified in some Cochrane reviews |
| Article Type | Editorial |
| Article Subtype | Discussion piece |
| First Author Country | Italy |
| Aim | A discussion piece highlighting perceived limitations with Cochrane review of brain FDG-PET in dementia published in 2015. |
| Level of Investigation | Descriptive |
| Summary of Findings | The authors disagree with the conclusions of the Cochrane review of brain FDG-PET in dementia published in 2015 for several reasons. They state that the patients in the included studies were not representative of the target population, that the included studies' designs and effect sizes were too heterogenous to allow meaningful synthesis and also that they were prone to small-study effects. The authors highlight that 17 relevant studies were published nearer to the time of publication (up to March 2015) of the Cochrane review but the search period only covered up to January 2015. An additional two relevant studies were stated to be omitted from the Cochrane review that were published in 2012. |
| Number of systematic reviews included | 1 |
| Number of eligible systematic reviews assessed | 1 |