SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Rheumatology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1651319
This article is part of the Research Topic25 Years of 21st Century MedicineView all 14 articles
Diagnostic Efficacy of Shear Wave Elastography in Sjögren's Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis of Major Exocrine Glands Manuscript Category: Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- Xiangya Changde Hospital, Changde, China
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Aim-Shear wave elastography (SWE) offers a non-invasive approach to assess gland stiffness in Sjögren's syndrome (SS). However, its diagnostic performance across major exocrine glands (parotid, submandibular, and lacrimal) remains unclear. This meta-analysis evaluates SWE's diagnostic efficacy for SS in these glands.Methods-We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and Chongqing VIP Information Network for studies (up to May 15, 2025) evaluating SWE's diagnostic performance for SS. Included studies reported sensitivity, specificity, and AUC. Data were synthesized via a random-effects model, with subgroup analyzes by gland type, measurement parameters, and diagnostic thresholds. Methodological quality was assessed using QUADAS-2.Results: Twelve studies evaluating SWE for SS diagnosis were included. SWE showed high diagnostic accuracy across exocrine glands. For the parotid gland, the pooled sensitivity was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.81-0.87), specificity was 0.85 (0.81-0.88), and the AUC was 0.916 (95% CI: 0.864-0.968). For the submandibular gland, the pooled sensitivity was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74-0.82), specificity was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86-0.92), and the AUC was 0.892 (95% CI: 0.769-1.000). For the lacrimal gland, the highest pooled AUC was 0.935( 95% CI: 0.886-0.984), sensitivity 0.78 (95% CI: 0.72-0.83), and specificity 0.90 (95% CI: 0.86-0.93). Combined parotid and submandibular measurements increased pooled specificity to 0.93 (95% CI: 0.89-0.96) but reduced pooled AUC to 0.426 (95% CI: 0.107-0.744). Subgroup analyzes revealed performance variations by geographic region, diagnostic criteria, measurement, and cut-off thresholds.Conclusion-SWE is an effective non-invasive tool for diagnosing SS, with parotid and lacrimal gland measurements showing enhanced diagnostic efficacy.
Keywords: Shear wave elastography, Sjögren's syndrome, Meta-analysis, Diagnostic accuracy, Exocrine Glands
Received: 21 Jun 2025; Accepted: 29 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Ming, Kong, Peng and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xunzhong Zhao, Xiangya Changde Hospital, Changde, China
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