Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as predictor of acute kidney injury in neonates with perinatal asphyxia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is growing evidence that neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a promising biomarker of acute kidney injury. The objective of this meta-analysis is to determine the accuracy of serum and urinary NGAL in the detection of acute kidney injury in neonates with perinatal asphyxia. Medline (1966-2018), Scopus (2004-2018), EMBASE (1980-2018), Clinicaltrials.gov (2008-2018), and Google Scholar (2004-2018) databases, along with the reference lists of the electronically retrieved articles, were systematically searched. Eleven studies were included, with a total number of 652 neonates. The summary sensitivity of serum NGAL was 0.818 (95% CI [0.668, 0.909]), the specificity 0.870 (95% CI [0.754, 0.936]), and the area under the curve 0.912. Regarding urinary NGAL, pooled sensitivity was calculated at 0.897 (95% CI [0.829, 0.940]), specificity at 0.729 (95% CI [0.561, 0.850]), and area under the curve at 0.899.