Articles: sensitivity-specificity.
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This study aimed to identify the imaging characteristics that can help differentiate intraparenchymal hemorrhage from benign contrast extravasation on post-procedural noncontrast CT scan in acute ischemic stroke patients after endovascular treatment. ⋯ An average attenuation <50 HU of the most hyperattenuating hyperdense parenchymal lesion on immediate post-procedural CT scan was very specific for differentiating contrast extravasation from intraparenchymal hemorrhage in acute ischemic stroke patients after endovascular treatment.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Sep 2014
Derivation of a clinical decision guide in the diagnosis of cervical facet joint pain.
To derive a clinical decision guide (CDG) to identify patients best suited for cervical diagnostic facet joint blocks. ⋯ MSE, PST, and ER may be useful tests in identifying patients suitable for diagnostic facet joint blocks. Further research is needed to validate the CDGs prior to their routine use in clinical practice.
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Observational Study
Estimated Effect of an Integrated Approach to Suspected Deep Venous Thrombosis Using Limited-compression Ultrasound.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is both common and serious, yet the desire to never miss the diagnosis, coupled with the low specificity of D-dimer testing, results in high imaging rates, return visits, and empirical anticoagulation. The objective of this study was to evaluate a new approach incorporating bedside limited-compression ultrasound (LC US) by emergency physicians (EPs) into the workup strategy for DVT. ⋯ Limited-compression US holds promise as one component of the diagnostic approach to DVT, but should not be used as a stand-alone test due to imperfect sensitivity. Tradeoffs in diagnostic efficiency for the sake of perfect sensitivity remain a difficult issue collectively in emergency medicine (EM), but need to be scrutinized carefully in light of the costs of overinvestigation, delays in diagnosis, and risks of empirical anticoagulation.
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Comparative Study
The possibility of application of spiral brain computed tomography to traumatic brain injury.
The spiral computed tomography (CT) with the advantage of low radiation dose, shorter test time required, and its multidimensional reconstruction is accepted as an essential diagnostic method for evaluating the degree of injury in severe trauma patients and establishment of therapeutic plans. However, conventional sequential CT is preferred for the evaluation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) over spiral CT due to image noise and artifact. We aimed to compare the diagnostic power of spiral facial CT for TBI to that of conventional sequential brain CT. ⋯ In TBI, the diagnostic power of spiral facial CT was equal to that of conventional sequential brain CT. Therefore, expanded spiral facial CT covering whole frontal lobe can be applied to evaluate TBI in the future.
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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Surgical removal of the tumor at an early stage can be curative. However, lung cancer diagnosis at an early stage remains challenging. There is evidence that free fatty acids play a role in cancer development. ⋯ Serum fatty acids and their metabolites demonstrate good sensitivity and specificity for the identification of adenocarcinoma of the lung.