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.
Conclusion: Serum and urinary NGAL represent candidate biomarkers with high performance in the prediction of acute kidney injury in newborns with perinatal asphyxia. Before NGAL can be widely used in clinical practice, future large prospective studies are needed to define the optimal cutoffs and accurately determine which levels are suggestive of post-asphyxial acute kidney injury. What is Known: • Acute kidney injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in perinatal asphyxia. • Current markers are insufficient in predicting post-asphyxial acute kidney injury. What is New: • Area under the curve for serum and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin is 0.818 and 0.899, respectively. • Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin is a useful marker for detecting asphyxiated neonates at risk of developing acute kidney injury.
Keywords: Acute kidney injury; Meta-analysis; NGAL; Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin; Perinatal asphyxia.