Detection of cardioembolic stroke with B-type natriuretic peptide or N-terminal pro-BNP: a comparative diagnostic meta-analysis

ABSTRACTBackground: B-type natriuretic peptides (BNPs) have shown promise in detecting cardioembolic stroke. However, there has been little investigation comparing the diagnostic efficacy of BNP and its cleavage by-product N-terminal peptide (NT-proBNP) in cardioembolic stroke patients. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis will be to comparatively assess the diagnostic efficacy of BNP versus NT-proBNP in distinguishing cardioembolic stroke from non-cardioembolic stroke in adult ischemic stroke patients.Methods: We conducted a literature search of several databases for prospective studies assessing the use of BNP or NT-proBNP to detect cardioembolic stroke in adult acute ischemic stroke patients. Only clinical studies reporting the diagnostic performance of BNP or NT-proBNP in predicting cardioembolic stroke in adult ischemic stroke patients were included. Diagnostic performance outcomes were summarized using forest plots and summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves.Results: Ten BNP pros...