Inter-reader reliability of the vesical imaging-reporting and data system (VI-RADS) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To evaluate the diagnostic agreement between readers in VI-RADS interpretation to detect muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) preoperatively, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available data. Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases were systematically searched up to November 13, 2021. Case reports, review articles, editorials, and studies with insufficient data were eliminated. The Quality Appraisal of the Diagnostic Reliability Checklist was used to assess the risk of bias. The degree of agreement was determined by Cohen's kappa coefficient (kappa) for comparison of data. The heterogeneity of these studies was explored using subgroup analysis and meta-regression analysis. The level of confidence was set at 0.05. All analyses were conducted in STATA 16.0. Overall, 19 eligible studies, consisting of 2439 participants, were included in this meta-analysis. The inter-reader agreement for VI-RADS in MIBC detection ranged from kappa of 0.45 to 0.96 among included studies. The pooled inter-reader reliability was calculated as 0.76 [95% CI 0.73-0.80; I-2 = 92.13%, Q(50) = 635.08, p < 0.01]. Sources of heterogeneity included magnetic strength, T2WI slice thickness, number of readers, sample size, study design, number of centers, year of publication, proportion of male patients, and mean age. There is substantial reliability in VI-RADS interpretation for MIBC among radiologists with various levels of expertise. The high degree of inter-reader agreement for MIBC detection supports the implementation of VI-RADS in routine clinical practice for the staging paradigm of bladder cancer.