Cardiac CT and MRI radiomics: systematic review of the literature and radiomics quality score assessment

Objective To systematically review and evaluate the methodological quality of studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) radiomics for cardiac applications. Methods Multiple medical literature archives (PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE) were systematically searched to retrieve original studies focused on cardiac MRI and CT radiomics applications. Two researchers in consensus assessed each investigation using the radiomics quality score (RQS). Subgroup analyses were performed to assess whether the total RQS varied according to study aim, journal quartile, imaging modality, and first author category. Results From a total of 1961 items, 53 articles were finally included in the analysis. Overall, the studies reached a median total RQS of 7 (IQR, 4–12), corresponding to a percentage score of 19.4% (IQR, 11.1–33.3%). Item scores were particularly low due to lack of prospective design, cost-effectiveness analysis, and open science. Median RQS percentage score was significantly higher in papers where the first author was a medical doctor and in those published on first quartile journals. Conclusions The overall methodological quality of radiomics studies in cardiac MRI and CT is still lacking. A higher degree of standardization of the radiomics workflow and higher publication standards for studies are required to allow its translation into clinical practice.