Cautionary tales in the clinical interpretation of studies of diagnostic tests

Internal Medicine Journal

Volumn 38, Issue 2, 2008, Pages 120-129

  Scott, I A ^a,b,e   Greenberg, P B ^b,c   Poole, P J ^b,d  

^a UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND   (Australia)

^b Internal Medicine Society of Australia   (Australia)

^c UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE   (Australia)

^d UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND   (New Zealand)

^e PRINCESS ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL   (Australia)

Author keywords

Caution; Clinical interpretation; Diagnostic test

Indexed keywords

BRAIN NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE;

BAYES THEOREM; CLINICAL PRACTICE; CLINICAL STUDY; CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE; DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY; DIAGNOSTIC TEST; HUMAN; METHODOLOGY; PATIENT SELECTION; PREVALENCE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; REVIEW; SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY;

BAYES THEOREM; CLINICAL TRIALS AS TOPIC; DATA INTERPRETATION, STATISTICAL; DIAGNOSTIC TESTS, ROUTINE; DISEASE; HUMANS; PREDICTIVE VALUE OF TESTS; RESEARCH DESIGN; SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY;

EID: 39149087059     PISSN: 14440903     EISSN: 14455994     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2007.01436.x     Document Type: Review

References (59)

1. Pauker SG, Kassirer JP. The threshold approach to clinical decision-making. N Engl J Med 1980 302 : 1109 17.
2. Reid MC, Lachs MS, Feinstein AR. Use of methodological standards in diagnostic test research: getting better but still not good. JAMA 1995 274 : 645 51.
3. Lijmer JG, Mol BW, Heisterkamp S, Bonsel GJ, Prins MH, van der Meulen JHP et al. Empirical evidence of design-related bias in studies of diagnostic tests. JAMA 1999 282 : 1061 6.
4. Whiting P, Rutjes AWS, Reitsma JB, Glas AS, Bossuyt PMM, Kleijnen J. Sources of variation and bias in studies of diagnostic accuracy. A systematic review. Ann Intern Med 2004 140 : 189 202.
5. Rutjes AW, Reitsma JB, Di Nisio M, Smidt N, van Rijn JC, Bossuyt PMM. Evidence of bias and variation in diagnostic accuracy studies. CMAJ 2006 174 : 469 76.
6. Harper R, Reeves B. Reporting of precision of estimates for diagnostic accuracy. BMJ 1999 318 : 1322 3.
7. Boussyt PM, Reitsma JB, Bruns DE, Gatsonis CA, Glasziou PP, Irwig LM et al. Towards complete and accurate reporting of studies of diagnostic accuracy: the STARD initiative. BMJ 2003 326 : 41 4.
8. Jaeschke A, Guyatt GH, Sackett DL. Evidence-based Medicine Working Group. Users' guides to the medical literature. III How to use an article about a diagnostic test. Are the results of the study valid? JAMA 1994 271 : 389 91.
9. Jaeschke A, Guyatt GH, Sackett DL. Evidence-based Medicine Working Group. Users' guides to the medical literature. III How to use an article about a diagnostic test. B. What are the results and will they help me in caring for patients? JAMA 1994 271 : 703 7.
10. Reid MC, Lane DA, Feinstein AR. Academic calculations versus clinical judgements:practising physicians' use of quantitative measures of test accuracy. Am J Med 1998 104 : 374 80.
11. Steurer J, Fischer JE, Bachmann LM, Koller M, ter Riet G. Communicating accuracy of tests to general practitioners: a controlled study. BMJ 2002 324 : 824 6.
12. Woolf SH, Kamerow DB. Testing for uncommon conditions. The heroic search for positive test results. Arch Intern Med 1990 150 : 2451 8.
13. Cox K. Investigating: is thoroughness always 'good medicine'? Med J Aust 1996 164 : 732 4.
14. Adams E, Flynn K, Alligood E. Evaluating diagnostic tests: a guide to the literature. Management decision and research centre technology assessment program. Washington, DC : Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veteran Affairs 1997. Report No.: 4.
15. Maisel AS, Krishnaswamy P, Nowak RM, McCord J, Hollander JE, Duc P et al. Breathing Not Properly Multinational Study Investigators. Rapid measurement of B-type natriuretic peptide in the emergency diagnosis of heart failure. N Engl J Med 2002 347 : 161 7.
16. Guyatt G, Sackett D, Haynes B. Evaluating diagnostic tests. In : Haynes RB, Sackett DL, Guyatt GH, Tugwell P, eds. Clinical Epidemiology. How to do Clinical Practice Research. 3rd edn. Baltimore : Lipincott Williams and Wilkins 2006 273 322.
17. Alberg AJ, Park JW, Hager BW, Brock MV, Diener-West M. The use of 'overall diagnostic accuracy' to evaluate the validity of screening or diagnostic tests. J Gen Intern Med 2004 19 : 460 65.
18. Loong T-W. Understanding sensitivity and specificity with the right side of the brain. BMJ 2003 327 : 716 19.
19. Schwam E. B-type natriuretic peptide for diagnosis of heart failure in emergency department patients: a critical appraisal. Acad Emerg Med 2004 11 : 686 91.
20. Mulherin SA, Miller WC. Spectrum bias or spectrum effect? Subgroup variation in diagnostic test evaluation. Ann Intern Med 2002 137 : 598 602.
21. Fletcher RH. Carcinoembryonic antigen. Ann Intern Med 1986 104 : 66 73.
22. West SG, Emden W, Werner MH, Kotzin BL. Neuropsychiatric lupus erythematosus: a 10-year prospective study on the value of diagnostic tests. Am J Med 1995 99 : 153 63.
23. Delalande S, de Seze J, Fauchais AL, Hachutta E, Stojkovic T, Ferriby D et al. Neurologic manifestations in primary Sjogren syndrome: a study of 82 patients. Medicine (Baltimore) 2004 83 : 280 91.
24. Catanzaro A, Perry S, Clarridge JE, Dunbar S, Goodnight-White S, LoBue PA et al. The role of clinical suspicion in evaluating a new diagnostic test for active tuberculosis. Results of a multicenter prospective trial. JAMA 2000 283 : 639 45.
25. Ewald B, Ewald D, Thakkinstian A, Attia J. Meta-analysis of BNP and NT-pro BNP in the diagnosis of clinical heart failure and population screening for left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Intern Med J 2007 (in press).
26. Soroka SD, Granade TC, Phillips S, Parekh B. The use of simple, rapid tests to detect antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 in pooled serum specimens. J Clin Virol 2003 27 : 90 96.
27. Bianchi MT, Alexander BM. Evidence based diagnosis: does the language reflect the theory? BMJ 2006 333 : 442 5.
28. Cecil MP, Kosinski AS, Jones MT, Taylor A, Alazraki NP, Pettigrew RI et al. The importance of work-up (verification) bias correction in assessing the accuracy of SPECT Thallium-201 testing for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. J Clin Epidemiol 1996 49 : 735 42.
29. PIOPED Investigators. Value of ventilaton/perfusion scan in acute pulmonary embolism. Results of the prospective investigation of pulmonary embolism diagnosis (PIOPED). JAMA 1990 263 : 2753 9.
30. Detrano R, Lyons KP, Marcondes G, Abbassi N, Froelicher VF, Janosi A. Methodologic problems in exercise testing research. Are we solving them? Arch Intern Med 1988 148 : 1289 95.
31. Detrano R, Janosi A, Lyons KP, Marcondes G, Abbassi N, Froelicher VF. Factors affecting sensitivity and specificity of a diagnostic test: the exercise thallium scintigram. Am J Med 1988 84 : 699 710.
32. Loy CT, Irwig L. Accuracy of diagnostic tests read with and without clinical information. A systematic review. JAMA 2004 292 : 1602 9.
33. Richman PB. The paradox of gold standards. Acad Emerg Med 2002 9 : 710 12.
34. Kemppainen EA, Hedstrom H, Puolakkainen PA, Sainio VS, Haapiainen RK, Perhoniemi V et al. Rapid measurement of urinary trypsinogen-2 as a screening test for acute pancreatitis. N Engl J Med 1997 336 : 1788 93.
35. Doust JA, Glasziou PP, Pietrzak E, Dobson AJ. A systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of natriuretic peptides for heart failure. Arch Intern Med 2004 164 : 1978 84.
36. Simel DL, Samsa GP, Matchar DB. Likelihood ratios with confidence: sample size estimation for diagnostic test studies. J Clin Epidemiol 1991 44 : 763 70.
37. Guyatt GH, Oxman A, Ali M, Willan A, McIlroy W, Patterson C et al. Laboratory diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia: an overview. J Gen Intern Med 1992 7 : 145 53.
38. Rumley A, Emberson JR, Wannamethee SG, Lennon L, Whincup PH, Lowe GD. Effects of older age on fibrin D-dimer, C-reactive protein, and other hemostatic and inflammatory variables in men aged 60-79 years. J Thromb Haemost 2006 4 : 982 7.
39. Alcalai R, Planer D, Culhaoglu A, Osman A, Pollak A, Lotan C. Acute coronary syndrome vs non-specific troponin elevation. Clinical predictors and survival analysis. Arch Intern Med 2007 167 : 276 81.
40. Khoury M, Burnett L, Mackay MA. Error rates in Australian chemical laboratories. Med J Aust 1996 165 : 128 30.
41. McGinn T, Guyatt G, Cook R, Meade M. Measuring agreement beyond chance. In : Guyatt G, Rennie D, eds. Users' Guides to the Medical Literature. A Manual for Evidence-based Clinical Practice. Chicago : AMA Press 2002 461 9.
42. Farmer ER, Gonin R, Hanna MP. Discordance in the histopathologic diagnosis of melanoma and melanocytic nevi between expert pathologists. Hum Pathol 1996 27 : 528 31.
43. Irwig L, Bossuyt P, Glasziou P, Gatsonis C, Limjer J. Designing studies to ensure that estimates of test accuracy are transferable. BMJ 2002 324 : 669 71.
44. Anon. How good is that test? II. Bandolier 1996 27 : 2 6.
45. Dolan JG, Bordley DR, Mushlin AL. An evaluation of clinicians' subjective prior probability estimates. Med Decis Making 1986 6 : 216 23.
46. Phelps MA, Levitt A. Pretest probability estimates: a pitfall to the clinical utility of evidence-based medicine? Acad Emerg Med 2004 11 : 692 4.
47. Lyman GH, Balducci L. The effect of changing disease risk on clinical reasoning. J Gen Intern Med 1994 9 : 488 95.
48. Cahan A, Gilon D, Manor O, Paltiel O. Probabilistic reasoning and clinical decision-making: do doctors overestimate diagnostic probabilities? Q J Med 2003 96 : 763 9.
49. Heller RF, Sandars JE, Patterson L, McElduff P. GPs' and physicians' interpretation of risks, benefits and diagnostic test results. Fam Pract 2004 21 : 155 9.
50. Puhan MA, Steurer J, Bachmann LM, ter Riet G. A randomized trial of ways to describe test accuracy: the effect on physicians' post-test probability estimates. Ann Intern Med 2005 143 : 184 9.
51. Moons KG, van Es GA, Deckers JW, Habbema JD, Grobbee DE. Limitations of sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio, and Bayes' theorem in assessing diagnostic probabilities: a clinical example. Epidemiology 1997 8 : 12 17.
52. Fagan TJ. Nomogram for Bayes' theorem. N Engl J Med 1975 293 : 257.
53. Halkin A, Reichman J, Schwaber M, Paltiel O, Brezis M. Likelihood ratios: getting diagnostic testing into perspective. Q J Med 1998 91 : 247 58.
54. Pewsner D, Battaglia M, Minder C, Marx A, Bucher HC, Egger M. Ruling a diagnosis in or out with 'SpPIn' and 'SnNOut': a note of caution. BMJ 2004 329 : 209 13.
55. Coste J, Pouchot J. A grey zone for quantitative diagnostic and screening tests. Int J Epidemiol 2003 32 : 304 13.
56. Lord SJ, Irwig L, Simes RJ. When is measuring sensitivity and specificity sufficient to evaluate a diagnostic test, and when do we need randomised trials? Ann Intern Med 2006 144 : 850 55.
57. Schocken DD, Arrieta MI, Leaverton PE, Ross EA. Prevalence and mortality rates of congestive heart failure in the United States. J Am Coll Cardiol 1992 20 : 301 16.
58. Mueller C, Scholer A, Laule-Kilian K, Martina B, Schindler C, Buser P et al. Use of B-type natriuretic peptide in the evaluation and management of acute dyspnea. N Engl J Med 2004 350 : 647 54.
59. Nierenberg AA, Feinstein AR. How to evaluate a diagnostic test. Lessons from the rise and fall of the dexamethasone suppression test. JAMA 1988 259 : 1699 702.