Cost-effectiveness of short-protocol emergency brain MRI after negative non-contrast CT for minor stroke detection

Puhr-Westerheide, Daniel; Froelich, Matthias F.; Solyanik, Olga; Gresser, Eva; Reidler, Paul; Fabritius, Matthias P.; Klein, Matthias; Dimitriadis, Konstantin; Ricke, Jens; Cyran, Clemens C.; Kunz, Wolfgang G. und Kazmierczak, Philipp M. (2021): Cost-effectiveness of short-protocol emergency brain MRI after negative non-contrast CT for minor stroke detection. In: European Radiology, Bd. 32, Nr. 2: S. 1117-1126

Abstract

Objectives To investigate the cost-effectiveness of supplemental short-protocol brain MRI after negative non-contrast CT for the detection of minor strokes in emergency patients with mild and unspecific neurological symptoms. Methods The economic evaluation was centered around a prospective single-center diagnostic accuracy study validating the use of short-protocol brain MRI in the emergency setting. A decision-analytic Markov model distinguished the strategies no additional imaging and additional short-protocol MRI for evaluation. Minor stroke was assumed to be missed in the initial evaluation in 40% of patients without short-protocol MRI. Specialized post-stroke care with immediate secondary prophylaxis was assumed for patients with detected minor stroke. Utilities and quality-of-life measures were estimated as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Input parameters were obtained from the literature. The Markov model simulated a follow-up period of up to 30 years. Willingness to pay was set to $100,000 per QALY. Cost-effectiveness was calculated and deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. Results Additional short-protocol MRI was the dominant strategy with overall costs of $26,304 (CT only: $27,109). Cumulative calculated effectiveness in the CT-only group was 14.25 QALYs (short-protocol MRI group: 14.31 QALYs). In the deterministic sensitivity analysis, additional short-protocol MRI remained the dominant strategy in all investigated ranges. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis results from the base case analysis were confirmed, and additional short-protocol MRI resulted in lower costs and higher effectiveness. Conclusion Additional short-protocol MRI in emergency patients with mild and unspecific neurological symptoms enables timely secondary prophylaxis through detection of minor strokes, resulting in lower costs and higher cumulative QALYs.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 0938-7994
• Sprache: Englisch