Abstract T P408: Suboptimal Quality of Reporting of Neuroimaging Methods for Studies of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Introduction: The quality of reporting of neuroimaging methods for studies of cerebral small vessel disease is unknown. We systematically reviewed studies of MRI white matter hyperintensities (WMH) of vascular origin to determine the frequency of reporting of key aspects of neuroimaging methods, and whether reporting varied by sample size, study design or journal impact factor. Methods: Three raters independently reviewed 100 consecutive papers reporting WMH severity, either as a primary outcome or covariate, to abstract 50 study characteristics based on the published STRIVE standards (Wardlaw et al Lancet Neurol 2013). Final determinations were made by consensus. An aggregate quality score (range 0-11) was created by adding one point for reporting of each of 11 key characteristics (Table). Spearman correlation or chi-square test, as appropriate, were used to test associations with quality score. Results: Papers were published between 2009 and 2013 with journal impact factors ranging from 0.56 to 15.3, wi...