Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “diagnostics”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,297 records · Page 72Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Incremental diagnostic value of dobutamine stress echocardiography and dobutamine scintigraphy (technetium 99m-labeled sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography) for assessment of presence and extent of coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: The incremental diagnostic value of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) and 99mTc-labeled sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography for the evaluation of the presence and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) was assessed with ordered logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic curves. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-five consecutive patients (33 men and 12 women; 53 +/- 6.8 years) underwent exercise electrocardiography and simultaneous DSE and sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomographic imaging. Coronary angiography was performed in all patients (significant coronary stenosis > 50%). On the basis of the results of exercise electrocardiography, the pretest probability for CAD (Diamond's algorithm) was low (45.6% +/- 12.7%). According to ordered logistic regression analysis, some models were estimated that performed a diagnostic accuracy level for CAD. In particular, we evaluated a clinical model (model 1) determined by the following parameters: sex, age, presence of chest pain, and positivity of electrocardiogram during dobutamine stress test. This model was 64.3% +/- 10.7% accurate for the prediction of CAD. The addition to model 1 of DSE parameters (wall motion stress and rest score index and relative difference) (model 2) yielded a diagnostic accuracy of 81.4% +/- 4.3% (p < 0.045), whereas the addition to model 1 of single-photon emission computed tomographic parameters (the difference between perfusional stress and rest score index) (model 3) improved diagnostic accuracy to 92.3% +/- 5.5% (p < 0.003), a level that appeared significantly higher than that of model 2 (p < 0.016). CONCLUSION: Both noninvasive methods for the detection of CAD showed a good diagnostic accuracy, especially when test-derived parameters were combined with clinical data. Nevertheless, the single-photon emission computed tomographic model showed a higher sensitivity compared with the DSE model.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Familial dilated cardiomyopathy: echocardiographic diagnostic criteria for classification of family members as affected.

BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic criteria for left ventricular enlargement (LVE) used to classify subjects as affected in families with familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDC) have been inconsistent. A recent report from a large Framingham echocardiographic study provides an opportunity to improve the assignment of LVE and FDC in kindreds, principally with a dilated phenotype. The objective of this study is to evaluate an alternative diagnostic criteria for FDC based only on LVE with no measure of fractional shortening (FS). METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared our proposed criteria for LVE and FDC with previous approaches by applying them to 166 adults derived from three large FDC pedigrees. Our proposed FDC diagnostic criteria are a sex- and height-specific method based only on LVE, without regard for FS, set as a 97.5% upper limit for left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) from the Framingham study. Other methods used to assign LVE were (1) a 95% upper limit for LVEDD by the Framingham study; (2) the method of Henry et al. (1980) based on age and body surface area (BSA); and (3) the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) method with a cut point of LVEDD greater than 2.7 cm/BSA. Three other commonly used diagnostic criteria for FDC were based on various LVE standards combined with an FS of 27% to 30%. For LVE, the Framingham-97.5% was the most stringent (21 of 134 subjects identified; 15.7%), the NHLBI standard the least stringent (57 of 161 subjects identified; 35.4%), and the Henry-112% method intermediate (44 of 161 subjects identified; 27.3%). More women were identified with the Framingham method (57.1%) versus the Henry-112% (40.9%). The Henry-112% and NHLBI methods identified 11.4% and 7.0% of subjects with body mass indices (BMIs) of 35 or greater, respectively. For FDC, our proposed FDC diagnostic criteria identified similar numbers of subjects (21 subjects) as the three other criteria (range, 22 to 27 subjects), but inconsistency was noted (54.2% to 66.7%), with kappa values from 0.49 to 0.55 resulting from different sensitivities to sex, LVE, FS, and BMI. CONCLUSION: Our proposed FDC diagnostic criteria are stringent to assign FDC family members as affected compared with other commonly used criteria. The use of LVEDD alone may be preferable for FDC family screening, although further validation of this approach with phenotypic and genotypic data from other large FDC pedigrees is needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Summary receiver operating characteristic curves as a technique for meta-analysis of the diagnostic performance of duplex ultrasonography in peripheral arterial disease.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: We summarized and compared the diagnostic performance of duplex and color-guided duplex ultrasonography in the evaluation of peripheral arterial disease. We present our research as an example of the use of summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves in a meta-analysis of diagnostic test data. METHODS: A search of the English-language medical literature published between 1984 and 1994 retrieved 48 reports, 14 of which met the inclusion criteria. The analysis was limited to the aortoiliac and femoropopliteal segments because only two studies reported results of infrapopliteal arteries. Diagnostic performance of duplex and color-guided duplex, defined as the ability to detect a stenosis of 50-99% or an occlusion, was compared using summary ROC curve methodology. This method takes into account heterogeneity across studies attributable to differences in the threshold values used. RESULTS: The summary ROC curves demonstrated a high level of diagnostic performance for both types of duplex imaging, with color-guided duplex scanning being superior (p = .022). For example, at a false-positive rate of .05 (specificity = .95), the analysis predicted a true-positive rate (sensitivity) of .83 for duplex alone and .93 for color guided duplex. Differences in the case mix of the study population and study design did not affect the results. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis did not reveal a strong effect of any single study on the results. CONCLUSION: For aortoiliac and femoropopliteal arteries, the addition of color flow imaging to duplex scanning improves diagnostic performance in evaluating peripheral arterial disease.

Humans↗
PubMed1995

Risk factors leading to arterial occlusion following diagnostic arteriography.

OBJECTIVES: Arteriography may precipitate occlusive complications in stenotic vessels by a toxic effect on the vascular endothelium, leading to intra-arterial thrombosis. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence of arterial occlusion following arteriography. METHODS: We studied 101 consecutive patients (71 male, 30 female; median age 72 years) undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of stenotic lesions, which had been identified on diagnostic arteriograms performed a median of 109 days (range 6-519) previously. One hundred and thirty-one arterial stenoses suitable for PTA were identified in the patient cohort. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (17%) progressed to occlusion in the period between diagnostic arteriography and PTA. Stenoses in the femoro-popliteal segment (21%) progressed to occlusion more frequently than lesions of the iliac arteries (3%). Independent risk factors were analysed to determine the risk factors predisposing to arterial occlusion following diagnostic arteriography. Both groups were well matched for age and sex. The mode of presentation, the presence of ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes or current smoking habits did not predict progression of disease to arterial occlusion. However, the rate of occlusion appeared to be influenced by the proportion of patients taking anti-platelet medication (51% in non-occluders as compared to 11% in patients who occluded, 95% CI 0.1 to 10), and to the length of time between arteriography and PTA (median of 92 days in non-occluders as compared to 125 days in patients who occluded, 95% CI 21 to 57). CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that occlusion of pre-existing arterial stenoses following diagnostic arteriography is significantly more frequent in patients not taking anti-platelet medication and when the time interval between arteriography and PTA exceeds 92 days. To minimise thrombotic arterial occlusion both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures should be performed simultaneously, but if a delay is unavoidable, patients should be treated with anti-platelet medication, which reduces the incidence of arterial occlusion.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical value of diagnostic laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound in patients with cancer of the esophagus or cardia.

Accurate pretherapeutic tumor staging becomes increasingly important for the selection of therapy in patients with cancer of the upper gastrointestinal tract. We prospectively assessed the clinical value of diagnostic laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound and peritoneal lavage in 127 consecutive patients with cancer of the esophagus or cardia but no evidence of hepatic metastases, peritoneal tumor dissemination, or other systemic tumor manifestations on standard staging techniques. There was no mortality or morbidity associated with diagnostic laparoscopy. Diagnostic laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound showed relevant previously unknown findings, particularly in patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus or cardia (hepatic metastases in 22% and peritoneal tumor spread or free tumor cells in the abdominal cavity in 25%), whereas the diagnostic gain was low in those with squamous cell esophageal cancer. The sensitivity and specificity of laparoscopic ultrasound in predicting positive celiac axis lymph nodes were 67% and 92%, respectively. These data indicate that diagnostic laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound and peritoneal lavage is safe and frequently provides therapeutically relevant new information in patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus or cardia, whereas the clinical value in patients with squamous cell esophageal cancer is limited.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

The use of "diagnostic V codes" in pediatric ophthalmology.

BACKGROUND: Children requiring comprehensive eye examination for signs of familial eye disease or suspected systemic condition are referred to pediatric ophthalmologists. Such examinations may be critical to diagnosis and patient management, yet medically necessary screening examinations are not reimbursed by insurers when the patient is "normal." Faced with this dilemma regularly in a children's hospital practice, we began tracking insurer acceptance of "diagnostic V codes," which are diagnostic codes generally related to symptoms or status conditions rather than to medical states. The authors felt that "diagnostic V codes" might represent a more appropriate and correct code in the circumstance of a medically necessary screening examination found to be normal. METHODS: In July 1995 the use of 11 primary diagnostic V codes and 7 secondary diagnostic V codes was discussed in our faculty meeting and a list was displayed in each examination lane. Acceptance of V codes was then tracked for an 8-month period and analyzed 1 year later to provide a set of closed accounts. RESULTS: The code V71.8, or "observation for other specified, suspected condition" had a 73% acceptance rate by insurers on the basis of 207 examinations. The acceptance rate was not dependent on the use of a secondary code (76% for V71.8 alone vs 71% for secondary code used). Other V codes were infrequently used. CONCLUSIONS: The code V71.8 was an accepted code by insurers in our locality for medically necessary screening examinations found to be normal. The authors feel this high acceptance rate by insurers confirms our impression that V codes are the appropriate and correct codes to use for the medically necessary screening examination found to be normal.

Eye Diseases↗
PubMed1999

The diagnostic value of electroencephalography in mild senile Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the diagnostic value of the visually assessed electroencephalogram (EEG) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), using the grand total of EEG (GTE) score. METHODS: Forty-nine non-demented control subjects with and without minimal cognitive impairment from the general population and 86 probable AD patients (NINCDS-ADRDA criteria), consecutively referred to a memory clinic, participated in this study. RESULTS: Frequency of rhythmic background activity (P<0.05), diffuse slow activity (P<0.001), and reactivity of the rhythmic background activity (P<0.001) were statistically significant related to the diagnosis control subject or AD patient, using logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age and sex. When these subscores were used to confirm the diagnosis of AD, thus at high specificity of 89.1% (GTE cut-off point of 3), the sensitivity was 44.6% and positive predictive value was 88.1%. Incremental ruling-in and ruling-out curves showed a maximum diagnostic gain of 38% for a positive test result at a prior probability ranging from 30 to 40%. At high pretest probability levels of 80-90%, the diagnostic gain for a positive test result was low, varying from 7 to 14%. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the visually assessed EEG may give a clinically meaningful contribution to the diagnostic evaluation of AD when there is diagnostic doubt.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Diagnostic precision of nanoparticle-enhanced MRI for lymph-node metastases: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: At present, there is no accepted, ideal imaging modality or technique for diagnosis of lymph-node metastases. We aimed to assess the diagnostic precision of MRI with ferumoxtran-10-an ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticle used as a contrast agent for diagnosis of lymph-node metastases, compared with that of unenhanced MRI and final histological diagnosis. METHODS: We did a meta-analysis of prospective studies that compared MRI, with and without ferumoxtran-10, with histological diagnosis after surgery or biopsy. Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated for every study; summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and subgroup analyses were done; and study quality and heterogeneity were assessed. Metaregression analysis was used to analyse the effect of ferumoxtran-10 in diagnostic precision of MRI. FINDINGS: Summary ROC curve analysis for per-lymph-node data showed an overall sensitivity of 0.88 (95% CI 0.85-0.91) and overall specificity of 0.96 (0.95-0.97) for ferumoxtran-10-enhanced MRI. Overall weighted area under the curve for ferumoxtran-10-enhanced MRI was 0.96 (SE 0.01), DOR 123.05 (95% CI 5.93-256.93). Unenhanced MRI had less overall sensitivity (0.63 [0.57-0.69]) and specificity (0.93 [0.91-0.94]), with an overall weighted area under the ROC curve of 0.84 (SE 0.11) and DOR of 26.75 (95% CI 8.48-84.42). Significant heterogeneity was noted for studies reporting enhanced MRI and unenhanced MRI. Metaregression analysis confirmed the significant effect of ferumoxtran-10 in the diagnostic precision of MRI (p=0.001). INTERPRETATION: Ferumoxtran-10-enhanced MRI is sensitive and specific in detection of lymph-node metastases for various tumours. It offers higher diagnostic precision than does unenhanced MRI for detection of lymph-node metastases, and allows functional and anatomical definition when used as an imaging modality.

Contrast Media↗
PubMed2000

The development of a post-baccalaureate certificate program in molecular diagnostics.

A post-baccalaureate certificate program in diagnostic molecular sciences was created in 1995 by the Diagnostic Genetic Sciences Program in the School of Allied Health at the University of Connecticut. The required on-campus lecture and laboratory courses include basic laboratory techniques, health care issues, cell biology, immunology, human genetics, research, management, and molecular diagnostic techniques and laboratory in molecular diagnostics. These courses precede a 6-month, full-time practicum at an affiliated full-service molecular laboratory. The practicum includes amplification and blotting methods, a research project, and a choice of specialized electives including DNA sequencing, mutagenesis, in situ hybridization methods, or molecular diagnostic applications in microbiology. Graduates of the program are immediately eligible to sit for the National Credentialing Agency examination in molecular biology to obtain the credential Clinical Laboratory Specialist in Molecular Biology (CLSp(MB). This description of the University of Connecticut program may assist other laboratory science programs in creating similar curricula.

Connecticut↗
PubMed2003

Prospective evaluation of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in patients with biliary disease: comparative study with conventional ultrasonography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography diagnostic algorithm.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is an accurate technique that can replace invasive diagnostic methods of the biliary and pancreatic duct. AIMS: Our aim was to assess sensitivity and specificity of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and ultrasonography using the results of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography as reference, and to establish a diagnostic algorithm under which circumstances magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography can replace endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. PATIENTS: Eighty-three patients with suspicion of biliary disease based on clinical, biochemical and ultrasonography findings were studied. METHODS: Ultrasonography, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were performed, comparing the results of the techniques for the determination of their sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity results obtained by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography were: 100 and 92.8% when dilated ducts were detected (n=61); 97.4 and 97.2% in the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis (n=38); 100 and 96.7% in malignant lesions (n=14) and 81.8 and 98.4% when biliary ducts were normal. The percentage of images of diagnostic quality was 97.6%. Sensitivity and specificity achieved by ultrasonography was: 100 and 57.1% in detection of dilatation, 71 and 97.2% in choledocholithiasis, 92.8 and 96.7% in malignancy and 66.6 and 96.8% in normal ducts. CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is a technique with high sensitivity and specificity in the evaluation of biliary ducts. Thus, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography may replace diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for purely diagnostic purposes, following an initial clinical and ultrasonographic exam.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The role of diagnostic algorithms in the management of blunt splenic injury.

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic algorithms for patients with blunt abdominal trauma have been in use since 1995. This study investigated the role of diagnostic algorithms in the management of adult patients with blunt splenic injury at our institution. METHODS: A retrospective review of hospital records was performed to enroll patients with blunt injury of the spleen. Demographic data and information about injury severity, diagnostic methods, management and final outcomes were evaluated. Patients were separated into an early and late group according to the year that diagnostic algorithms were used (1990-1994 or 1995-1999). RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-one patients were enrolled. Initially, 71 patients had an operation (OP group), whereas 50 received non-operative management (NOM group). Patients in the OP versus NOM group had lower blood pressure and greater transfusion volumes in the emergency room, higher grade splenic injury, and a greater rate of intra-abdominal-related injury. NOM failed in 7 patients (14%). Early- versus late-group patients were less likely to have NOM and high grade splenic injury; however, the rate of NOM failure was not different between the early and late groups. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic algorithms using sonograms for screening provide an initial means of selecting patients for NOM. Patients with higher grades of splenic injury can then be managed non-operatively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

A scale to screen for DSM-IV Axis I disorders in psychiatric out-patients: performance of the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ) is a reliable and valid self-report scale designed to screen for the most common DSM-IV Axis I disorders encountered in out-patient mental health settings. The present report is the second large-scale validation study of the PDSQ in psychiatric out-patients. Because some of the sizes of the diagnostic groups in the initial report were modest, it is important to determine whether the recommended cut-off scores to screen for psychiatric disorders remained the same in a replication study. METHOD: Six hundred and seventy psychiatric out-patients presenting for treatment were evaluated with a semi-structured diagnostic interview after completing the PDSQ. RESULTS: Based on receiver operating curve analysis, the PDSQ performed as well in the replication sample as in the initial validation study. For nine of the 13 PDSQ subscales the recommended cut-off score in the replication study was the same as in the initial study. After combining the data from the two studies (n=1300) the mean sensitivity across the 13 PDSQ subscales was 87% and the mean negative predictive value was 97%. CONCLUSIONS: The PDSQ is a diagnostic aid designed to improve the efficiency of conducting initial diagnostic evaluations. From a clinical perspective it is important that a screening tool have good sensitivity so that most cases are detected, and high negative predictive value so that most non-cases on the measure are indeed non-cases. The results of this second large validation study indicate that most of the PDSQ subscales achieved this goal.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Application of a diagnostic decision rule in children with meningeal signs: a cost-minimization study.

OBJECTIVES: Recently, we developed a diagnostic rule for the diagnosis and treatment of children with meningeal signs. This rule may provide the physician with a rationale to decide on the use of diagnostic and treatment procedures in these children and to improve their care. In this study, we estimated cost savings of the rule compared with current practice. METHODS: Routine care data of 360 children visiting the emergency department of the Sophia Children's Hospital with meningeal signs between 1988 and 1998 were used. Costs of diagnostic tests and treatment were estimated by using financial accounts of an academic and a general pediatric hospital. The number of procedures actually performed and the resulting cost estimates (i.e. unit costs x volume) were compared with the estimated figures after application of the decision rule. RESULTS: The population of children with meningeal signs comprised 99 with bacterial meningitis (27%), 36 with another serious bacterial infection (10%), and 225 with a self-limiting disease (63%). Application of the rule would reduce lumbar punctures by 12% and hospitalizations for empirical treatment by 15% with the same diagnostic accuracy as current practice. Cost savings were estimated at Euro292 per patient (relative reduction 10%) and were mainly achieved in the treatment course (Euro259). CONCLUSIONS: A diagnostic decision rule for children with meningeal signs has the potential to improve the appropriate use of medical resources, to be cost-effective, and to ascertain the absence of bacterial meningitis earlier.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Teaching Diagnostic Skills: Clinical Vignettes or Chief Complaints?

Two formats of case presentation are traditionally used for teaching problem-solving skills: clinical vignette or chief complaint formats. While the first one is more commonly used, it does not completely reflect the actual problem-solving process during a real encounter, which may hamper the learners to integrate separately acquired data gathering skills into their reasoning process and affect their diagnostic performance in practice. The present study compared diagnostic accuracy when the reasoning stimulus was a case vignette containing all diagnostic information versus the patient's chief complaint only. Forty-two medical students, 53 residents and 60 general internists participated in the study. Diagnostic accuracy was significantly lower for the chief complaint format at the student, resident, and practitioner levels. Analysis of the data gathered in the chief-complaint format revealed that faulty diagnostic decisions resulted from a failure to gather critical data. The results suggest that data gathering techniques, semiology, and medical reasoning should be trained in association and that this effort should be pursued beyond medical school.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

A graphical object display improves anesthesiologists' performance on a simulated diagnostic task.

OBJECTIVE: This study tests the hypothesis that a graphical object display (a data display consisting of meaningful shapes) will affect the ability of anesthesiologists to perform a diagnostic task rapidly and correctly. The diagnostic tasks studied were recognition and differentiation of five etiologies of shock--anaphylaxis, bradycardia, myocardial ischemia, hypovolemia, pulmonary embolus. METHODS: Data sets consisting of HR, Systemic Arterial BP, Pulmonary Arterial BP, CVP, and Cardiac Output were generated for five shock states and five non-shock states. The resulting 10 data sets were presented on a computer monitor to study subjects twice (first in an alpha-numeric format and then in the object format) for a total of twenty decision screens. Subjects used soft-buttons on a computer touch-screen monitor to: a) advance to the next display; b) differentiate a non-shock state from a shock state; and, c) select the etiology of shock state represented by the display (Figure 2). Data collection was automatic, using the internal clock and memory of the computer. RESULTS: Eleven anesthesiologists participated in this study. They completed a total of 3060 diagnostic decisions, half with each display format. Performance measures were time to decision and diagnostic accuracy. The object display improved no-shock recognition by 1.0 second and shock etiology determination by 1.4 seconds (p < 0.05). The object display also significantly improved accuracy for shock recognition by 1.4% and etiology determination by 4.1% (p < 0.05). Testing was completed in a time interval of <45 min per 10 trials. CONCLUSIONS: The primary finding of this study was that anesthesiologists using the object display format committed significantly fewer diagnostic errors when interpreting physiologic data. In addition, both the recognition of no-shock and the diagnosis of shock etiology were completed more rapidly when the object display was used. The major limitation of this initial trial is the simplicity of the test. Future investigation of the impact of the display on clinical decision making will require more realistic clinical scenarios with partial or full simulation to better understand the potential clinical impact.

Anesthesiology↗
PubMed2001

Diagnostic radiation and the risk of multiple myeloma (United States).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between cumulative lifetime exposure to diagnostic radiation and the risk of multiple myeloma using data from a large, multi-center, population-based case-control study. METHODS: Study subjects included a total of 540 cases with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and 1998 frequency-matched population controls living in three areas of the United States (Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey). Information on exposure to diagnostic X-rays was obtained by personal interview. RESULTS: No association was found between case-control status and the total number of reported diagnostic X-rays of any type (odds ratio (OR) for 20 or more compared to less than 5 X-rays = 0.9, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.7-1.2). There was no evidence of an excess risk of multiple myeloma among individuals who reported exposure to 10 or more diagnostic X-rays that impart a relatively high radiation dose to the bone marrow, as compared to individuals reporting no such exposures (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4-1.3). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that exposure to diagnostic X-rays has a negligible impact, if any, on risk of developing multiple myeloma.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Effects of varying diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder are endorsing the concept of partial PTSD.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the appropriateness of different diagnostic criteria sets for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This was done by varying diagnostic criteria on the diagnosis of PTSD in a study group of N = 146 former political prisoners, and comparing the resulting diagnostic groups with a study group of N = 75 nontraumatized controls with regard to mean scores on measures of subjective distress (i.e., IES-R, BDI, BAI, SCL-90-R). The findings did not support the diagnostic boundaries as defined by the DSM-IV or the lowering of the avoidance criterion from three to two symptoms. The concept of partial PTSD appeared to be the most appropriate way to provide diagnostic coverage for those who did not meet full DSM IV criteria.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Incremental diagnostic value of quantitative analysis of double phase Tc-99m MIBI scintimammography for the detection of primary breast cancer additive to visual analysis.

UNLABELLED: Tc-99m MIBI scintimammography (SMM) is known to be a useful diagnostic tool for primary breast cancer. We conducted this study to establish optimal visual grades for the detection of primary breast cancer and to investigate whether the quantitative indices of double phase SMM could provide incremental diagnostic value additive to visual analysis. METHODS: Five hundred and twenty highly suspected breast cancer patients (malignant: 370; benign: 150) were included in this study. Double phase Tc-99m MIBI SMM (early: 10 min; delayed: 3 h) was performed after injection of 750 MBq of Tc-99m MIBI. For visual analysis, five scoring method was used. The early and delayed lesion to non-lesion ratios (L/N) and retention index (RI) were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses was performed to determine the optimal visual grade, to calculate cut-off value of quantitative indices for differentiation malignant and benign diseases and to investigate whether the quantitative indices could provide incremental diagnostic value additive to visual analysis. To investigate the incremental diagnostic value of quantitative index in variable tumor size groups, the patients were subdivided into four groups (group A: size 5 cm). RESULTS: When over visual grade 3 was used as the cut-off grade for the diagnosis of breast cancer, the sensitivity and specificity were 75.5, 86.4%, respectively. Early L/N of malignant breast disease was significantly higher than that of benign (2.00 +/- 1.88 vs. 0.60 +/- 0.7; p < 0.01). However, delayed L/N and RI had no significant difference between malignant and benign breast diseases. When early L/N of 1.27 was used as the cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity of SMM were 77.6, 83.3%, respectively. When the early L/N was added to visual grade, the area under curve (AUC) of visual + quantitative analysis (V + Q) was higher than that of visual analysis (V) alone (AUC 0.893 vs. 0.803; p < 0.01). In group A, the AUC of V + Q was higher than that of V alone (0.843 vs. 0.808; p = 0.029). In group B, the AUC of V + Q was also higher (0.913 vs. 0.781; p < 0.01). However, in groups C and D, the AUCs of V + Q and V were not different (0.926 vs. 0.915; p = 0.144: 0.663 vs. 0.570; p = 0.093). For axillary lymph node involvement, the sensitivity, specificity, and of SMM were 66.9, 70.1, and 68%, respectively. CONCLUSION: From this study, the optimal visual interpretation grades for diagnosis of breast cancer were grades 4 and 5 and cut-off value of early L/N was 1.27. Also, we found that delayed image was not required for breast cancer detection and quantitative index of early L/N provide incremental diagnostic value additive to visual analysis. Especially, when the tumor is small (size <or= 3 cm), the early L/N should be obtained for the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗