Parental recognition of shunt failure: a prospective single-institution study

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Naftel ◽  
Emily Tubergen ◽  
Chevis N. Shannon ◽  
Kimberly A. Gran ◽  
E. Haley Vance ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Test ◽  
Shunt Failure ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Head Ct ◽  
Test Characteristics ◽  
Parental Response ◽  
Parental Recognition ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Shunt Series

Object Because there is no gold standard for preoperative diagnosis of shunt failure, understanding the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of symptoms, signs, and diagnostic tests enables practitioners to make logical clinical decisions. Parents of children with shunts undergo educational instruction to enable them to recognize shunt failure. The authors prospectively investigated parental ability to recognize shunt failure. Methods Data were prospectively collected on 205 consecutive encounters in 153 children with shunted hydrocephalus presenting to the emergency department or clinic, or as an inpatient consultation, to the Children's Hospital of Alabama between April and October 2010. Regardless of the complaint, all parents were asked if they believed the shunt was in failure. Six children were excluded from analysis because a parental response was lacking. Using the Shunt Design Trial definitions, shunt failure was diagnosed intraoperatively or ruled out if the child did not undergo shunt revision within 1 week of presentation. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy were calculated using the parental response and shunt failure diagnosis. Secondarily, parents were compared based on their experience with shunt failure in their children; experienced parents were defined as having experienced at least 3 shunt failures. Post hoc analysis evaluated diagnostic test characteristics among hydrocephalus causes and compared parental recognition of shunt failure to head CT and shunt series diagnostic test characteristics. Parents also completed a standardized shunt failure survey regarding their shunt teaching education and symptom tracking. Results Children enrolled were a mean age of 6.9 years old, 92 (46%) of the encounters were with male patients, and most patients were Caucasian (69%) and had undergone an average of 2.8 previous shunt revisions. Seventy-one children (36%) were diagnosed with shunt failure. Parental response diagnostic test characteristics were: positive predictive value (PPV) of 41%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 79%, sensitivity of 83%, specificity of 34%, and accuracy of 52% for shunt failure. Sixty-three parents were considered experienced and responded with a PPV of 29%, NPV of 92%, sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 23%, and accuracy of 41%. One hundred thirty-six parents were considered inexperienced and responded with a PPV of 48%, NPV of 75%, sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 41%, and accuracy of 57%. When statistically compared, experienced parents had significantly lower PPV (29% vs 48%, respectively; p = 0.035) and accuracy (41% vs 57%, respectively; p = 0.049) than inexperienced parents. On post hoc analysis, parental recognition of shunt failure was inferior to head CT and shunt series diagnostic tests with a lower specificity (20% vs 88%, respectively; p < 0.0005), PPV (44% vs 84%, respectively; p < 0.0005), NPV (61% vs 85%, respectively; p = 0.006), and accuracy (47% vs. 85%, respectively; p < 0.0005). Conclusions The overall parental response had the greatest value in ruling out shunt failure, reflected in the high NPV, particularly in experienced parents. The head CT and shunt series provide more favorable diagnostic test characteristics than the parental response. Although educational interventions have decreased shunt-related deaths, parents have difficulty differentiating shunt failure from alternative diagnoses.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a Rapid Diagnostic Test Currently Being Used in the Management of Malaria in Patients of the Hia/Chu-Parakou and the Boko Zone Hospital in Northern Benin

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tokponnon F ◽  
◽  
Osse R ◽  
Houessou C ◽  
Akogbeto M ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Test ◽  
Rapid Diagnostic Test ◽  
Probabilistic Method ◽  
Health Centers ◽  
Patient Identification ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Parasitological Diagnosis ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Adequate Management

Parasitological diagnosis is a fundamental element in the adequate management of the disease. In the last decade, there has been a resurgence of interest in the development of malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits. This is the case with SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf, which searches for HRP2 antigen by immunochromatography. The objective of this study is to compare the results of RDT SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf in use with the results of Thick Gout (TG) in the biological diagnosis of malaria. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and evaluative study carried out at the Hôpital d’Instruction des Armées-Center Hospitalier et Universitaire de Parakou and at the Boko zone hospital from April 20 to July 30, 2015. Patient identification, we used the non-probabilistic method and the convenience choice technique. The study involved 503 patients. The results of this study showed a good performance of the RDT SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf. Among the 503 patients, 199 or 39.6% were positive for the RDT against 180 or 35.8% positive for the Thick Gout (TG). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the test compared to the thick film were respectively (91.7%, 89.5%, 82.9, 95) and the Kappa coefficient of 0.88 testifies a good match. False positive cases are noted in patients on treatment and even after recovery due to the persistence of the HRP2 antigen in the blood. However, it constitutes an interesting alternative to the management of malaria. At the end of this study, we suggest continuing the use of RDTs in health centers where microscopy is absent and/or reinforcing microscopy, and to strengthen staff training in the management of malaria cases.

Clinical Epidemiology

2016 ◽  
pp. 285-290
Author(s):  
Scott C. Litin ◽  
John B. Bundrick
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Test ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Clinical Epidemiology ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Specific Patient ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Test Sensitivity ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Diagnostic tests are tools that either increase or decrease the likelihood of disease. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of normal and abnormal test results can be calculated with even a limited amount of information. Some physicians prefer interpreting diagnostic test results by using the likelihood ratio. This ratio takes properties of a diagnostic test (sensitivity and specificity) and makes them more helpful in clinical decision making. It helps the clinician determine the probability of disease in a specific patient after a diagnostic test has been performed.

scholarly journals The diagnostic utility of serum IgG4 concentrations in IgG4-related disease

2014 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mollie N Carruthers ◽  
Arezou Khosroshahi ◽  
Tamara Augustin ◽  
Vikram Deshpande ◽  
John H Stone
Keyword(s):  
Positive Predictive Value ◽  
Electronic Medical Records ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Elevated Serum ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Test Characteristics ◽  
Igg4 Related Disease ◽  
Serum Igg4 ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

ObjectivesWe evaluated the sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of elevated serum IgG4 concentrations for the diagnosis of IgG4-RD.MethodsBetween 2001 and 2011, 190 unique patients had elevated serum IgG4 measurements. We reviewed electronic medical records to determine the indication for IgG4 measurement and underlying clinical diagnosis. Additionally, we reviewed the records of 190 other randomly selected patients from a pool of 3360 with normal results, to evaluate test characteristics of the IgG4 measurement.ResultsAmong 380 patients analysed, 72 had either probable or definite IgG4-RD. Sixty-five of the 72 IgG4-RD patients had elevated serum IgG4 concentrations (mean: 405 mg/dL; range 140–2000 mg/dL), for a sensitivity of 90%. Among the 308 subjects without IgG4-RD, 125 had elevated IgG4 (mean: 234 mg/dL; range 135–1180 mg/dL) and 183 had normal IgG4 concentrations, for a specificity of 60%. The negative predictive value of a serum IgG4 assay was 96%, but the positive predictive value only 34%. Analysis of the serum IgG4/total IgG ratio did not improve these test characteristics. Doubling the cutoff for IgG4 improved specificity (91%) but decreased sensitivity to 35%.DiscussionMultiple non-IgG4-RD conditions are associated with elevated serum IgG4, leading to poor specificity and low positive predictive value for this test. A substantial subset of patients with biopsy-proven IgG4-RD do not have elevated serum IgG4. Neither doubling the cutoff for serum IgG4 nor examining the serum IgG4/IgG ratio improves the overall test characteristics for the diagnosis of IgG4-RD.

scholarly journals Do children with suspected shunt failure also require a radiographic shunt series if head CT is going to be, or has been, performed?

2020 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2020-320294
Author(s):  
George Beattie ◽  
Saurabh Sinha ◽  
Suzanne Mason ◽  
Daniel JA Connolly ◽  
Michael Paddock
Keyword(s):  
Shunt Failure ◽  
Head Ct ◽  
Shunt Series

Drop the Likelihood Ratio

2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (03) ◽  
pp. 283-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Herich ◽  
W. Lehmacher ◽  
M. Hellmich
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Test ◽  
Likelihood Ratio ◽  
Intermediate Step ◽  
Logarithmic Scale ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Electronic Tool ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Ratio Determination ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

SummaryObjective: To present a geometric ruler to determine predictive values of binary diagnostic test results from prevalence, sensitivity and specificity without calculation.Methods: On logarithmic scale the relationships between pre-/post-test odds and the likelihood ratio as well as sensitivity, specificity and the likelihood ratio appear as simple linear (additive) equations.Results: Each of these additive equations can be solved geometrically in form of a ruler with three scales. By amalgamation we devise a novel non-electronic tool which omits the intermediate step of likelihood ratio determination.Conclusions: We propose a simple geometric method to aid in interpretation of diagnostic test results for both practical and educational purposes.

Discriminating Malignancy in Thyroid Nodules: The Nomogram Versus the Kwak and ACR TI-RADS

2020 ◽  
Vol 163 (6) ◽  
pp. 1156-1165
Author(s):  
Juan Xiao ◽  
Qiang Xiao ◽  
Wei Cong ◽  
Ting Li ◽  
Shouluan Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thyroid Nodules ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Diagnostic Study ◽  
Diagnostic Efficiency ◽  
Training Set ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Validation Set ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Objective To develop an easy-to-use nomogram for discrimination of malignant thyroid nodules and to compare diagnostic efficiency with the Kwak and American College of Radiology (ACR) Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS). Study Design Retrospective diagnostic study. Setting The Second Hospital of Shandong University. Subjects and Methods From March 2017 to April 2019, 792 patients with 1940 thyroid nodules were included into the training set; from May 2019 to December 2019, 174 patients with 389 nodules were included into the validation set. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to develop a nomogram for discriminating malignant nodules. To compare the diagnostic performance of the nomogram with the Kwak and ACR TI-RADS, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Results The nomogram consisted of 7 factors: composition, orientation, echogenicity, border, margin, extrathyroidal extension, and calcification. In the training set, for all nodules, the area under the curve (AUC) for the nomogram was 0.844, which was higher than the Kwak TI-RADS (0.826, P = .008) and the ACR TI-RADS (0.810, P < .001). For the 822 nodules >1 cm, the AUC of the nomogram was 0.891, which was higher than the Kwak TI-RADS (0.852, P < .001) and the ACR TI-RADS (0.853, P < .001). In the validation set, the AUC of the nomogram was also higher than the Kwak and ACR TI-RADS ( P < .05), each in the whole series and separately for nodules >1 or ≤1 cm. Conclusions When compared with the Kwak and ACR TI-RADS, the nomogram had a better performance in discriminating malignant thyroid nodules.

scholarly journals The Impact of Narrow-band Imaging on the Pre- and Intra- operative Assessments of Neoplastic and Preneoplastic Laryngeal Lesions. A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmelo Saraniti ◽  
Enzo Chianetta ◽  
Giuseppe Greco ◽  
Norhafiza Mat Lazim ◽  
Barbara Verro
Keyword(s):  
White Light ◽  
Diagnostic Tool ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
Narrow Band Imaging ◽  
Resection Margins ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
White Light Endoscopy ◽  
Laryngeal Lesions ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
The Impact

Introduction Narrow-band imaging is an endoscopic diagnostic tool that, focusing on superficial vascular changes, is useful to detect suspicious laryngeal lesions, enabling their complete excision with safe and tailored resection margins. Objectives To analyze the applications and benefits of narrow-band imaging in detecting premalignant and malignant laryngeal lesions through a comparison with white-light endoscopy. Data Synthesis A literature search was performed in the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases using strict keywords. Then, two authors independently analyzed the articles, read the titles and abstracts, and read completely only the relevant studies according to certain eligibility criteria. In total, 14 articles have been included in the present review; the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of pre- and/or intraoperative narrow-band imaging were analyzed. The analysis showed that narrow-band imaging is better than white-light endoscopy in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy regarding the ability to identify cancer and/or precancerous laryngeal lesions. Moreover, the intraoperative performance of narrow-band imaging resulted more effective than the in-office performance. Conclusion Narrow-band imaging is an effective diagnostic tool to detect premalignant and malignant laryngeal lesions and to define proper resection margins. Moreover, narrow-band imaging is useful in cases of leukoplakia that may cover a possible malignant lesion and that cannot be easily assessed with white-light endoscopy. Finally, a shared, simple and practical classification of laryngeal lesions, such as that of the European Laryngological Society, is required to identify a shared lesion management strategy. Key Points

scholarly journals Predicting youth diabetes risk using NHANES data and machine learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nita Vangeepuram ◽  
Bian Liu ◽  
Po-hsiang Chiu ◽  
Linhua Wang ◽  
Gaurav Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Clinical Guideline ◽  
Diabetes Risk ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Clinical Screening ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Screening Guideline ◽  
Demographic Subgroups ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

AbstractPrediabetes and diabetes mellitus (preDM/DM) have become alarmingly prevalent among youth in recent years. However, simple questionnaire-based screening tools to reliably assess diabetes risk are only available for adults, not youth. As a first step in developing such a tool, we used a large-scale dataset from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine the performance of a published pediatric clinical screening guideline in identifying youth with preDM/DM based on American Diabetes Association diagnostic biomarkers. We assessed the agreement between the clinical guideline and biomarker criteria using established evaluation measures (sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative predictive value, F-measure for the positive/negative preDM/DM classes, and Kappa). We also compared the performance of the guideline to those of machine learning (ML) based preDM/DM classifiers derived from the NHANES dataset. Approximately 29% of the 2858 youth in our study population had preDM/DM based on biomarker criteria. The clinical guideline had a sensitivity of 43.1% and specificity of 67.6%, positive/negative predictive values of 35.2%/74.5%, positive/negative F-measures of 38.8%/70.9%, and Kappa of 0.1 (95%CI: 0.06–0.14). The performance of the guideline varied across demographic subgroups. Some ML-based classifiers performed comparably to or better than the screening guideline, especially in identifying preDM/DM youth (p = 5.23 × 10−5).We demonstrated that a recommended pediatric clinical screening guideline did not perform well in identifying preDM/DM status among youth. Additional work is needed to develop a simple yet accurate screener for youth diabetes risk, potentially by using advanced ML methods and a wider range of clinical and behavioral health data.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Seroprevalence among Healthcare Workers of a Large COVID-19 Hospital in Rome Reveals Strengths and Limits of Two Different Serological Tests

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2650
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Vetrugno ◽  
Daniele Ignazio La Milia ◽  
Floriana D’Ambrosio ◽  
Marcello Di Pumpo ◽  
Roberta Pastorino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Test ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Venous Blood ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
Serological Tests ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Healthcare workers are at the forefront against COVID-19, worldwide. Since Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli (FPG) IRCCS was enlisted as a COVID-19 hospital, the healthcare workers deployed to COVID-19 wards were separated from those with limited/no exposure, whereas the administrative staff were designated to work from home. Between 4 June and 3 July 2020, an investigation was conducted to evaluate the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies among the employees of the FPG using point-of-care (POC) and venous blood tests. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were determined with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction on nasal/oropharyngeal swabs as the diagnostic gold standard. The participants enrolled amounted to 4777. Seroprevalence was 3.66% using the POC test and 1.19% using the venous blood test, with a significant difference (p < 0.05). The POC test sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 63.64% (95% confidence interval (CI): 62.20% to 65.04%) and 96.64% (95% CI: 96.05% to 97.13%), while those of the venous blood test were, respectively, 78.79% (95% CI: 77.58% to 79.94%) and 99.36% (95% CI: 99.07% to 99.55%). Among the low-risk populations, the POC test’s predictive values were 58.33% (positive) and 98.23% (negative), whereas those of the venous blood test were 92.86% (positive) and 98.53% (negative). According to our study, these serological tests cannot be a valid alternative to diagnose COVID-19 infection in progress.

scholarly journals Accuracy of the fluorescence-aided identification technique (FIT) for detecting tooth-colored restorations utilizing different fluorescence-inducing devices: an ex vivo comparative study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Leontiev ◽  
E. Magni ◽  
C. Dettwiler ◽  
C. Meller ◽  
R. Weiger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Composite Restorations ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Identification Technique ◽  
Illumination Method ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Entire Procedure ◽  
Higher Sensitivity

Abstract Objectives The aim of the present study was to compare the accuracy of the conventional illumination method (CONV) and the fluorescence-aided identification technique (FIT) for distinguishing between composite restorations and intact teeth using different fluorescence-inducing devices commonly used for FIT. Materials and methods Six groups of six dentists equipped with one of six different FIT systems each independently attempted to identify composite restorations and intact teeth on a full-mouth model with 22 composite restorations using CONV and, 1 h later, FIT. The entire procedure was repeated 1 week later. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values, including 95% confidence intervals (CI), were calculated for CONV and FIT overall and for each device. The influence of examiner age, method, and device on each parameter was assessed by multivariate analysis of variance. Results The sensitivity (84%, CI 81–86%), specificity (94%, CI 93–96%), PPV (92%, CI 90–94%), and NPV (90%, CI 88–91%) of FIT was significantly higher than that of CONV (47%, CI 44–50%; 82%, CI 79–84%; 66%, CI 62–69%, and 69%, CI 68–71%, respectively; p<0.001). The differences between CONV and FIT were significant for all parameters and FIT systems except VistaCam, which achieved no significant difference in specificity. Examiners younger than 40 years attained significantly higher sensitivity and negative predictive values than older examiners. Conclusions FIT is more reliable for detecting composite restorations than the conventional illumination method. Clinical relevance FIT can be considered an additional or alternative tool for improving the detection of composite restorations.

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