Handsearching did not yield additional unique FDG-PET diagnostic test accuracy studies compared with electronic searches: a preliminary investigation.

We explored the value of handsearching to identify diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies to inform systematic reviews of DTA. Handsearching was conducted alongside a systematic review of the DTA of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG PET-CT) for colorectal cancer. Ten journals, identified by frequency analysis of studies from six imaging reviews, were handsearched for reports of DTA studies. The numbers of studies identified by handsearching and by database searching were compared. A total of 573 journal issues from ten journals were handsearched in 185 h. A total of 936 potential reports of DTA studies were identified: 25 were relevant to the FDG PET-CT review. 7/25 FDG PET-CT papers had not been identified by database searches. No papers met the systematic review inclusion criteria. The FDG-PET systematic review included 30 papers, from 24 different journals. Handsearching two of those journals identified 211 potential reports of DTA studies for all topics and 18 for FDG PET-CT. Handsearching identified previously unseen papers but did not yield unique relevant DTA studies for the specific review. DTA imaging studies are widely distributed, and it may be more efficient to choose journals to handsearch after the identification of some relevant studies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.