The effectiveness of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in bladder cancer (Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System): A systematic review

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of the Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS) score in the diagnostic pathway of bladder cancer. METHODS: A systemic search of the contemporary literature was performed in December 2019 using the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), the Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE), and Web of Science databases focussing on all available articles on VI-RADS. RESULTS: Overall, six of 15 articles were included. All the available articles evaluated the ability of radiologists to use the VI-RADS score for discriminating non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) from muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Considering a cut-off VI-RADS score of >2, the sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 78–91.9%, 85–91%.1, 69–78%, and 88–97.1%, respectively. Considering a VI-RADS score cut-off of >3, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 77–94.6%, 43.9–96.5%, 51.6–86%, and 63.7–93%, respectively. Good interobserver agreement was demonstrated in the evaluated studies with a κ score of 0.73–0.89. Only one study evaluated the utility of VI-RADS in determining the presence of MIBC in patients treated with transurethral resection of the bladder diagnosed with high-grade T1 before the second transurethral resection using a VI-RADS score cut-off of >2; the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 85%, 93.6%, 74.5%, and 96.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The VI-RADS score, using multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, showed excellent results in discriminating MIBC from NMIBC. Preliminary results have been reported for its use in patients with high-grade T1 bladder cancer. These results need to be validated in high-quality real-world settings. ABBREVIATIONS: DCE: dynamic contrast enhancement; DWI: diffusion-weighted imaging; (N)MIBC: (non-)muscle-invasive bladder cancer; mpMRI: multiparametric MRI; TURBT: transurethral resection of bladder tumour; (N)(P)PV: (negative) (positive) predictive value; SC: structural category; T2W: T2-weighted; VI-RADS: vesical imaging-reporting and data system