ObjectiveThe aim of this meta-analysis and systematic review is to assess the effectiveness of microRNAs as a diagnostic tool for individuals with epilepsy. MethodsA systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was performed to collect literature on miRNA diagnosis of epilepsy up to January 1, 2024. Two researchers independently screened and extracted the literature and resolved discrepancies by negotiation. The QUADAS-2 evaluation tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4, Meta-Disc 1.4, and Stata 17.0. Results A total of 17 papers were included, including 942 patients with epilepsy and 932 healthy controls. miRNA in the diagnosis of epilepsy had a combined sensitivity of 0.76 [95%CI (0.71, 0.79)], combined specificity of 0.78 [95%CI (0.74, 0.82)], and area under the SROC curve of 0.84 [95%CI (0.80, 0.87)]. Subgroup analysis showed that miRNA had higher diagnostic value for temporal lobe epilepsy, especially medial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS). ConclusionThe study suggests that miRNA may be a promising tool for the diagnosis of epilepsy, especially temporal lobe epilepsy, but more high-quality studies are needed to support it.