Preoperative Prediction Power of Imaging Methods for Microvascular Invasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: To compare the predictive power between radiomics and non-radiomics (conventional imaging and functional imaging methods) for preoperative evaluation of microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Comprehensive publications were screened in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Studies focusing on the discrimination values of imaging methods, including radiomics and non-radiomics methods, for MVI evaluation were included in our meta-analysis. Results: Thirty-three imaging studies with 5,462 cases, focusing on preoperative evaluation of MVI status in HCC, were included. The sensitivity and specificity of MVI prediction in HCC were 0.78 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75-0.80; I-2 = 70.7%] and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.76-0.81; I-2 = 0.0%) for radiomics, respectively, and were 0.73 (95% CI: 0.71-0.75; I-2 = 83.7%) and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.80-0.83; I-2 = 86.5%) for non-radiomics, respectively. The areas under the receiver operation curves for radiomics and non-radiomics to predict MVI status in HCC were 0.8550 and 0.8601, respectively, showing no significant difference. Conclusion: The imagingmethod is feasible to predict theMVI state of HCC. Radiomics method based on medical image data is a promising application in clinical practice and can provide quantifiable image features. With the help of these features, highly consistent prediction performance will be achieved in anticipation.