Positive Predictive Value For Diagnosis Research Articles

Comparison of Effective Imaging Modalities for Detecting Gastric Neoplasms: A Randomized 3-Arm Phase II Trial.

The early detection of gastric neoplasms (GNs) leads to favorable treatment outcomes. The latest endoscopic system, EVIS X1, includes third-generation narrow-band imaging (3G-NBI), texture and color enhancement imaging (TXI), and high-definition white-light imaging (WLI). Therefore, this randomized phase II trial aimed to identify the most promising imaging modality for GN detection using 3G-NBI and TXI. Patients with scheduled surveillance endoscopy after a history of esophageal cancer or GN or preoperative endoscopy for known esophageal cancer or GN were randomly assigned to the 3G-NBI, TXI, or WLI groups. Endoscopic observations were performed to detect new GN lesions, and all suspected lesions were biopsied. The primary endpoint was the GN detection rate during primary observation. Secondary endpoints were the rate of missed GNs, early gastric cancer detection rate, and positive predictive value for a GN diagnosis. The decision rule had a higher GN detection rate between 3G-NBI and TXI, outperforming WLI by >1.0%. Finally, 901 patients were enrolled and assigned to the 3G-NBI, TXI, and WLI groups (300, 300, and 301 patients, respectively). GN detection rates in the 3G-NBI, TXI, and WLI groups were 7.3, 5.0, and 5.6%, respectively. The rates of missed GNs were 1.0, 0.7, and 1.0%, the detection rates of early gastric cancer were 5.7, 4.0, and 5.6%, and the positive predictive values for the diagnosis of GN were 36.5, 21.3, and 36.8% in the 3G-NBI, TXI, and WLI groups, respectively. Compared with TXI and WLI, 3G-NBI is a more promising modality for GN detection.

Effect of Dental Distance from Implant and MAR Algorithm on the Detection of Vertical Root Fracture in CBCT Images

Three-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has an important role in the detection of vertical root fractures (VRFs). The effect of artifact generation by high-density objects like dental implants on image quality was well documented. This study aimed to assess the effect of tooth-implant distance and the application of metal artifact reduction (MAR) algorithm on the detection of VRFs on CBCT scans. This study was conducted on 20 endodontically treated single-rooted teeth. VRFs were induced in 10 teeth, while the other 10 remained intact. The implant was inserted in the right second premolar socket area, and two teeth were inserted in right canine and right first premolar sockets area randomly and underwent CBCT with and without the application of MAR algorithm. SPSS 21 was used to analyze the results (alpha=0.05). According to the findings of this study, all four variables of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive values in diagnosis were higher in cases without MAR software at both close(roots in first premolar sockets) and far distances (roots in canine sockets) from the implant. However, the highest rate of diagnosis accuracy of the first and second radiologists was in the far distance group from the implant without MAR, and the lowest rate of diagnosis accuracy in the first and second radiologists was in the close distance to the implant. Applying MAR algorithm had no positive effect on detection of VRFs on CBCT scans in both close and distant scenarios.

Fever of Unknown Origin: A Validation Study of Danish ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes.

Real-world data in form of routinely collected clinical data are a valuable resource for epidemiological research in infectious disease. We examined the validity of a discharge diagnosis of fever of unknown origin from hospital discharge registries. We identified patients with a first in- or outpatient diagnosis (primary or secondary) of fever of unknown origin (ICD-10 code R50.0; R50.8, R50.9) recorded in the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR) between 2010 and 2017 in the North Denmark Region. We based the validation cohort on a mix of patients diagnosed at a highly specialized university department of infectious diseases (n=100), other internal medicine departments (n=50), and patients diagnosed at a regional non-university hospital (n=50). We estimate positive predictive value (PPV) of diagnosis for fever of unknown origin using medical records as reference. The PPV of a diagnosis of fever of unknown origin for patients diagnosed at the infectious disease department was 61% (95% CI: 51-71%). For other internal medicine departments, it was 14% (95% CI: 6-27%), and for the non-university hospital it was 16% (95% CI: 7-29%). To achieve higher PPVs, we excluded immunocompromised patients, patients who were diagnosed with infection, cancer or rheumatic disease within 7 days after admission, and/or patients with a short hospital stay (maximum 3 days) and no subsequent hospital contact within 1 month. The PPV for diagnoses from the Department of Infectious Diseases improved to 82% (95% CI: 68-91%) for other internal medicine departments it improved to 31% (95% CI: 11-59%), and for the non-university hospital it improved to 36% (95% CI: 13-65%). We found that only diagnoses made in the Department of Infectious Diseases accurately identified fever of unknown origin, whereas diagnoses made in other units mainly covered infection-related fever, cancer-related fever, or short unspecific fever without further diagnostic work-up.

Surgical follow up after Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma Exam in Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Introduction: Blunt injury sustained from a blunt force may be related to motor vehicle accidents, falls, blows or crush injuries from animals, blunt objects or assailants. FAST is a low cost and portable method for evaluating BAT. It provides reasonable accuracy and has a high negative and positive predictive value for diagnosis of intraperitoneal injuries. Hence the aim of the study was to determine a relationship between the findings in focussed assessment with sonography in trauma and clinical outcome.Materials and Methods: A total of 80 patients who underwent FAST were included in the study. A prospective analytical study was carried over 2 year’s duration. The FAST findings were recorded and clinical follow up for seven days.Result: There were more male patients with blunt injury abdomen than female patients. Most common age group was between 20 to 39 years. The most common cause of BAT was RTA fallowed by falls. Out of 80 patients with BAT in our study, 29.2% patients were FAST positive and 70.8% patients were FAST negative. Discussion and Conclusion: On fallow up patient with negative FAST had fewer falls in hemoglobin and hematocrit compared to the patient with positive FAST. It concluded that FAST scan is a predictor of clinical outcome in BAT. It was concluded that FAST is a better diagnostic modality in ruling in than ruling out a patient with blunt abdominal trauma.

Validity of initial cancer diagnoses in the Diagnosis Procedure Combination data in Japan

BackgroundIn Japan, the Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) data have been used as a nationwide administrative hospital discharge database for clinical studies. However, few studies have evaluated the validity of recorded diagnoses of cancer in the database. MethodsWe compared the DPC data with hospital-based cancer registries in Osaka Prefecture, Japan to assess the validity of the recorded cancer diagnoses in the DPC data. Fifteen types of cancer were included in the analysis. Cancer stage with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification was assessed for eight cancer types with >400 patients. We evaluated concordance and positive predictive value of cancer diagnosis, and concordance of cancer stage between the DPC data and the hospital-based cancer registry. ResultsIn total, we identified 29,180 eligible patients. The five types of cancer with the highest number of patients were as follows: 6,765 (23.2 %) colorectal, 6,476 (22.2 %) stomach, 4,862 (16.7 %) breast, 4,445 (15.2 %) lung, and 2,257 (7.7 %) liver. Concordance of diagnosis ranged from 63.9 %–99.5 %, and twelve of the fifteen types of cancers had concordance of over 90 %. Positive predictive values of diagnosis ranged from 86.8 %–100 %. Regarding cancer stage, the overall degree of concordance was 67.2 % in all patients and the concordance was over 70 % in four types of cancers. ConclusionsThe DPC data had high validity of cancer diagnosis. However, the potential impact of the misclassifications and low concordance in cancer stage among specific type of cancers in the DPC data should be considered.

Validation of Diagnosis and Procedure Codes for Revascularization for Peripheral Artery Disease in Ontario Administrative Databases.

To estimate the positive predictive value of diagnosis and procedure codes for open and endovascular revascularization for peripheral artery disease (PAD) in Ontario administrative databases. We conducted a retrospective validation study using population-based Ontario administrative databases (2005-2019) to identify a random sample of 600 patients who underwent revascularization for PAD at two academic centres, based on ICD-10 diagnosis codes and Canada Classification of Health Intervention procedure codes. Administrative data coding was compared to the gold standard diagnosis (PAD vs. non-PAD) and revascularization approach (open vs. endovascular) extracted through blinded hospital chart re-abstraction. Positive predictive values and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Combinations of procedure codes with or without supplemental physician claims codes were evaluated to optimize the positive predictive value. The overall positive predictive value of PAD diagnosis codes was 87.5% (84.6%-90.0%). The overall positive predictive value of revascularization procedure codes was 94.3% (92.2%-96.0%), which improved through supplementation with physician fee claim codes to 98.1% (96.6%-99.0%). Algorithms to identify individuals revascularized for PAD had combined positive predictive values ranging from 82.8% (79.6%-85.8%) to 95.7% (93.5%-97.3%). Diagnosis and procedure codes with or without physician claims codes allow for accurate identifi-cation of individuals revascularized for PAD in Ontario administrative databases.

Ruling in or out the presence of cardiac amyloidosis based on cut-off values using T1-mapping – caution is required regarding the control group

Abstract Background Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an infiltrative disease that is characterized by accumulation of amyloid deposits in the interstitium of the myocardium. In contrast, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is caused by a disorganized arrangement of myocyte hypertrophy as well as expanded extracellular matrix, composed of interstitial and replacement fibrosis. Purpose A diagnostic algorithm based on (native) T1-mapping using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) was suggested in a recent study for the diagnosis of CA: A native T1 <1,036ms was mentioned to have a 98% negative predictive value (NPV) for ruling out CA whereas a native T1 >1,164ms showed a 98% positive predictive value (PPV) for the presence of CA. In the present study, we critically addressed the calculation of such cut-off values considering possible differences in the composition of the control group. Methods N=30 patients with CA, N=20 patients with HCM and N=15 healthy controls without relevant cardiac disease underwent dedicated CMR studies on a 1.5-T MR scanner. The CMR protocol comprised standard sequences for cine-imaging, native and post-contrast MOLLI-based T1-mapping and late-gadolinium-enhancement (LGE). ECV measurements were based on pre- and post-contrast T1-mapping images. Results Native T1 and ECV were significantly increased in CA compared to HCM and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses revealed an area-under-the-curve (AUC) = 0.984 for native T1 (p<0.001) and AUC = 0.985 for ECV (p<0.001) regarding the diagnosis of CA). When CA patients were compared to HCM patients (excluding healthy controls), a native T1 <1,036ms or an ECV <33% were associated with a 99% NPV for ruling out CA whereas a native T1 ≥1,082ms or an ECV ≥41% were associated with a 99% PPV for diagnosis of CA. However, when CA patients were compared to healthy controls (excluding HCM patients), a native T1 <1,025ms or an ECV <34% were associated with a 99% NPV for ruling out CA whereas a native T1 ≥1,025ms or an ECV ≥34% were associated with a 99% PPV for diagnosis of CA since there was no overlap in native T1 and ECV values between CA patients and healthy controls. Conclusion Cut-off values for native T1 or ECV derived from ROC analyses (in a specific group of study patients) for ruling in or out the presence of CA are – amongst others - determined by the native T1 and ECV values of the respective “control group”. A different composition of the control group (e.g. HCM patients vs. healthy volunteers) will result in different cut-off values. Hence, previously suggested cut-off values obtained in single center studies need to be considered carefully – with a special attention to the control group of the underlying study – and should not be transferred to other centers carelessly. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Serum Presepsin, Proadrenomedullin and Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells-1 (TREM-1) as Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Acute Pyelonephritis

To investigate the diagnostic values of serum presepsin, proadrenomedullin (proADM) and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) levels in children with acute pyelonephritis and lower urinary tract infection. Peripheral venous blood and urine samples were obtained before starting antibiotic therapy at the time of admission in all patients. Serum TREM-1, presepsin and proADM concentrations were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. 82 children (38 acute pyelonephritis, 24 lower urinary tract infection, 20 controls) were enrolled. Serum proADM and TREM-1 levels were higher in patients with acute pyelonephritis than those of lower urinary tract infection and controls (P=0.001 and P<0.001, respectively). Both serum proADM and TREM-1 levels had predictive value for diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (P=0.006 and P<0.001, respectively). ROC analysis showed that proADM and TREM-1 had positive predictive values for diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (AUC=0.830, P=0.003; and AUC=0.843, P<0.001, respectively). Serum proADM and TREM-1 levels could serve as early biomarkers for the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis in children.

Diagnosis of NTM active infection in lymphadenopathy patients with anti-interferon-gamma auto-antibody using inhibitory ELISA vs. indirect ELISA

The anti-interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) autoantibody is a known cause of opportunistic non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection in adults. Diagnosis of those patients is difficult due to the low sensitivity of bacterial culture, and because detection of the neutralizing autoantibody needs special laboratory devices. We conducted a retrospective review of indirect and inhibitory ELISA, both used for detection of anti-IFN-gamma auto-antibody in 102 patients with lymphadenopathies. We assessed hospital records of NTM isolation and/or diagnosis of NTM infection. The review revealed the compatible sensitivity and superior specificity and predictive values for inhibitory ELISA over against indirect ELISA—the latter achieving 100% specificity and positive predictive value for diagnosis of NTM infection in patients with lymphadenopathies. The results confirm functional assays that show plasma samples from NTM-infected patients with positive results by either indirect and/or inhibitory ELISA are IFN-gamma neutralizing autoantibodies. The inhibitory titer of anti-IFN-gamma auto-antibody can be used to distinguish patients with active from inactive NTM infection. Inhibitory ELISA is thus a practical, rapid, high performance tool for routine detection of anti-IFN-gamma autoantibody and NTM infection diagnosis before confirmation, enabling a timely therapeutic strategy for active infection treatment.

Cartilage icing and chondrocalcinosis on knee radiographs in the differentiation between gout and calcium pyrophosphate deposition.

ObjectiveTo determine if findings of “cartilage icing" and chondrocalcinosis on knee radiography can differentiate between gout and calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD).MethodsIRB-approval was obtained and informed consent was waived for this retrospective study. Electronic medical records from over 2.3 million patients were searched for keywords to identify subjects with knee aspiration-proven cases of gout or CPPD. Radiographs were reviewed by two fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists in randomized order, blinded to the patients’ diagnoses. Images were evaluated regarding the presence or absence of cartilage icing, chondrocalcinosis, tophi, gastrocnemius tendon calcification, and joint effusion. Descriptive statistics, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy were calculated.ResultsFrom 49 knee radiographic studies in 46 subjects (31 males and 15 females; mean age 66±13 years), 39% (19/49) showed gout and 61% (30/49) CPPD on aspiration. On knee radiographs, cartilage icing showed a higher sensitivity for CPPD than gout (53–67% and 26%, respectively). Chondrocalcinosis also showed a higher sensitivity for CPPD than gout (50–57% versus 5%), with 95% specificity and 94% positive predictive value for diagnosis of CPPD versus gout. Soft tissue tophus-like opacities were present in gout at the patellar tendon (5%, 1/19) and at the popliteus groove in CPPD (15%, 4/27). Gastrocnemius tendon calcification was present in 30% (8/27) of subjects with CPPD, and 5% (1/19) of gout.ConclusionIn subjects with joint aspiration-proven crystal disease of the knee, the radiographic finding of cartilage icing was seen in both gout and CPPD. Chondrocalcinosis (overall and hyaline cartilage) as well as gastrocnemius tendon calcification positively correlated with the diagnosis of CPPD over gout.

A Novel Algorithm to Differentiate Between Multiple Primary Lung Cancers and Intrapulmonary Metastasis in Multiple Lung Cancers With Multiple Pulmonary Sites of Involvement.

Differentiating between multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC) and intrapulmonary metastasis (IPM) is critical for developing a therapeutic strategy to treat multiple lung cancers with multiple pulmonary sites of involvement. We retrospectively included 252 lesions (126 pairs) from 126 patients with surgically resected multiple lung adenocarcinomas. Each pair was classified as MPLC or IPM based on histopathologic findings as the reference standard. A novel algorithm was established with four sequential decision steps based on the combination of computed tomography (CT) lesion types (step 1), CT lesion morphology (step 2), difference of maximal standardized uptake values on positron-emission tomography/CT (step 3), and presence of N2/3 lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis (step 4). The diagnostic accuracy of the algorithm was analyzed. Performances of 11 observers were assessed without and with knowledge of algorithm. Among 126 pairs, 90 (71.4%) were classified as MPLCs and 36 (28.6%) as IPMs. On applying the diagnostic algorithm, the overall accuracy for diagnosis of IPM among conclusive cases up to step 4 was 88.9%, and 65 and 44 pairs were correctly diagnosed based on step 1 and step 2, respectively. Specificity and positive predictive value for diagnosis of IPM increased significantly in all observers compared with reading rounds without the algorithm. Application of the algorithm based on comprehensive information on clinical and imaging variables can allow differentiation between MPLCs and IPMs. When both of two suspected malignant lesions appear as solid predominant lesions without spiculation or air-bronchogram on CT, IPM should be considered.

Significance of serum galactose deficient IgA1 as a potential biomarker for IgA nephropathy: A case control study.

BackgroundIgA nephropathy(IgAN) is a common glomerular disease with a higher risk of progression to end stage renal disease (ESRD) in certain ethnic populations. Since galactose deficient IgA1(Gd-IgA1) is a critical molecule in its pathogenesis, it has generated interest as a biomarker for this disease.MethodsWe measured serum Gd-IgA1 levels using a non- lectin based enzyme linked immunoassay(ELISA) in 136 immunosuppression naïve patients with primary IgAN and 110 controls(60-non IgA glomerular diseases, 50-healthy volunteers).ResultsMedian serum Gd-IgA1 levels were significantly higher in IgAN patients [13135.6(2723.3,59603.8)ng/ml] compared to those with non IgA glomerular disease [4954.8(892.9,18256.2) ng/ml] and healthy controls [6299.5(1993.2,19256) ng/ml] and this was observed even after log transformation and adjustment for age and gender(p<0.0001). Considering a cut-off value of serum Gd-IGA1≥7982.1ng/ml, the sensitivity for diagnosing IgAN compared to healthy controls was 74.3% and specificity was 72.0% with a positive predictive value of 87.8% and negative predictive value of 50.7%. The serum Gd-IgA1 level did not co-relate with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate, urine protein creatinine ratio and the M, E, S, T and C scores on renal biopsy. The renal survival (absence of >30% decrease in eGFR, ESRD or death) was lower in patients with higher serum Gd-IgA1 levels(≥7982ng/ml) than those who had lower levels but it was not statistically significant(p = 0.486).ConclusionSerum Gd-IgA1 level is higher in IgAN patients compared to non-IgA glomerular diseases and healthy controls and has a good positive predictive value for diagnosis. However, it does not correlate with clinical and histological characteristics of disease severity and does not predict disease progression.

Intracerebral hemorrhage: positive predictive value of diagnosis codes in two nationwide Danish registries.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to establish the validity of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) diagnoses in the Danish Stroke Registry (DSR) and the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR).Patients and methodsWe estimated the positive predictive value (PPV) of ICH diagnoses for a sample of 500 patients from the DSR (patients recorded under ICH diagnosis) and DNPR (International Classification of Diseases, version 10, code I61) during 2010–2015, using discharge summaries and brain imaging reports (minimal data). We estimated PPVs for any ICH (a-ICH) and spontaneous ICH (s-ICH) alone. Furthermore, we assessed PPVs according to whether patients were recorded in both or only one of the registries. Finally, in a subsample with ICH diagnoses with access to full medical records and original imaging studies (extensive data, n=100), we compared s-ICH diagnosis and hemorrhage location after use of extensive vs minimal data.ResultsIn the DSR, the PPVs were 94% (95% CI, 91%–96%) for a-ICH and 85% (95% CI, 81%–88%) for s-ICH. In the DNPR, the PPVs were 88% (95% CI, 84%–91%) for a-ICH and 75% (95% CI, 70%–79%) for s-ICH. PPVs for s-ICH for patients recorded in both registries, DSR only, and DNPR only were 86% (95% CI, 82–99), 80% (95%CI, 71–87), and 49% (95%CI, 39–59), respectively. Evaluation of extensive vs minimal data verified s-ICH diagnosis in 98% and hemorrhage location in 94%.ConclusionThe validity of a-ICH diagnoses in DSR and DNPR is sufficiently high to support their use in epidemiologic studies. For s-ICH, validity was high in DSR. In DNPR, s-ICH validity was lower, markedly so for the small subgroup of patients only recorded in this registry. Minimal data including discharge summaries and brain imaging reports were feasible and valid for identifying ICH location.

Identification of a discriminative metabolomic fingerprint of potential clinical relevance in saliva of patients with periodontitis using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Periodontitis is characterized by the loss of the supporting tissues of the teeth in an inflammatory-infectious context. The diagnosis relies on clinical and X-ray examination. Unfortunately, clinical signs of tissue destruction occur late in the disease progression. Therefore, it is mandatory to identify reliable biomarkers to facilitate a better and earlier management of this disease. To this end, saliva represents a promising fluid for identification of biomarkers as metabolomic fingerprints. The present study used high-resolution 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to identify the metabolic signature of active periodontitis. The metabolome of stimulated saliva of 26 patients with generalized periodontitis (18 chronic and 8 aggressive) was compared to that of 25 healthy controls. Principal Components Analysis (PCA), performed with clinical variables, indicated that the patient population was homogeneous, demonstrating a strong correlation between the clinical and the radiological variables used to assess the loss of periodontal tissues and criteria of active disease. Orthogonal Projection to Latent Structure (OPLS) analysis showed that patients with periodontitis can be discriminated from controls on the basis of metabolite concentrations in saliva with satisfactory explained variance (R2X = 0.81 and R2Y = 0.61) and predictability (Q2Y = 0.49, CV-AUROC = 0.94). Interestingly, this discrimination was irrespective of the type of generalized periodontitis, i.e. chronic or aggressive. Among the main discriminating metabolites were short chain fatty acids as butyrate, observed in higher concentrations, and lactate, γ-amino-butyrate, methanol, and threonine observed in lower concentrations in periodontitis. The association of lactate, GABA, and butyrate to generate an aggregated variable reached the best positive predictive value for diagnosis of periodontitis. In conclusion, this pilot study showed that 1H-NMR spectroscopy analysis of saliva could differentiate patients with periodontitis from controls. Therefore, this simple, robust, non-invasive method, may offer a significant help for early diagnosis and follow-up of periodontitis.

Clinical significance of somatic mutation in unexplained blood cytopenia

Unexplained blood cytopenias, in particular anemia, are often found in older persons. The relationship between these cytopenias and myeloid neoplasms like myelodysplastic syndromes is currently poorly defined. We studied a prospective cohort of patients with unexplained cytopenia with the aim to estimate the predictive value of somatic mutations for identifying subjects with, or at risk of, developing a myeloid neoplasm. The study included a learning cohort of 683 consecutive patients investigated for unexplained cytopenia, and a validation cohort of 190 patients referred for suspected myeloid neoplasm. Using granulocyte DNA, we looked for somatic mutations in 40 genes that are recurrently mutated in myeloid malignancies. Overall, 435/683 patients carried a somatic mutation in at least 1 of these genes. Carrying a somatic mutation with a variant allele frequency ≥0.10, or carrying 2 or more mutations, had a positive predictive value for diagnosis of myeloid neoplasm equal to 0.86 and 0.88, respectively. Spliceosome gene mutations and comutation patterns involving TET2, DNMT3A, or ASXL1 had positive predictive values for myeloid neoplasm ranging from 0.86 to 1.0. Within subjects with inconclusive diagnostic findings, carrying 1 or more somatic mutations was associated with a high probability of developing a myeloid neoplasm during follow-up (hazard ratio = 13.9, P < .001). The predictive values of mutation analysis were confirmed in the independent validation cohort. The findings of this study indicate that mutation analysis on peripheral blood granulocytes may significantly improve the current diagnostic approach to unexplained cytopenia and more generally the diagnostic accuracy of myeloid neoplasms.

Validity of Peripheral Arterial Disease Diagnoses in the Danish National Patient Registry

The objective was to validate the diagnoses of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the legs, obtained from national registers in Denmark. In total, 1435 registered cases of PAD were identified in the Danish National Patient Registry among 57,053 middle aged participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort study. Validation was performed by reviewing all medical records using pre-specified criteria for a diagnosis of PAD. The overall positive predictive value (PPV) of PAD diagnoses was 69.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 67.0-71.7]. The PPV of diagnoses given in departments of vascular surgery was significantly higher than diagnoses given in other departments: 71.9% (95% CI 69.2-74.4) versus 58.3% (95% CI 52.2-64.2), respectively. In a sub-study, 141 potential cases of PAD also registered in the Danish National Vascular Registry were evaluated, and a PPV of 87.9% (95% CI 81.4-92.4) was found for these diagnoses. More than 30% of the diagnoses of PAD notified in the Danish National Patient Registry were not valid, stressing the importance of validation when using register information for research purposes. In contrast, diagnoses obtained from the Danish National Vascular Registry had a high validity ready for use without further validation.

Positive predictive value of diagnosis coding for hemolytic anemias in the Danish National Patient Register.

PurposeThe nationwide public health registers in Denmark provide a unique opportunity for evaluation of disease-associated morbidity if the positive predictive values (PPVs) of the primary diagnosis are known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive values of hemolytic anemias registered in the Danish National Patient Register.Patients and methodsAll patients with a first-ever diagnosis of hemolytic anemia from either specialist outpatient clinic contact or inpatient admission at Odense University Hospital from January 1994 through December 2011 were considered for inclusion. Patients with mechanical reason for hemolysis such as an artificial heart valve, and patients with vitamin-B12 or folic acid deficiency were excluded.ResultsWe identified 412 eligible patients: 249 with a congenital hemolytic anemia diagnosis and 163 with acquired hemolytic anemia diagnosis. In all, hemolysis was confirmed in 359 patients, yielding an overall PPV of 87.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 83.5%–90.2%). A diagnosis could be established in 392 patients of whom 355 patients had a hemolytic diagnosis. Diagnosis was confirmed in 197 of the 249 patients with congenital hemolytic anemia, yielding a PPV of 79.1% (95% CI: 73.5%–84.0%). Diagnosis of acquired hemolytic anemia could be confirmed in 136 of the 163 patients, resulting in a PPV of 83.4% (95% CI: 76.8%–88.8%). For hemoglobinopathy PPV was 84.1% (95% CI: 77.4%–89.4%), for hereditary spherocytosis PPV was 80.6% (95% CI: 69.5%–88.9%), and for autoimmune hemolytic anemia PPV was 78.4% (95% CI: 70.4%–85.0%).ConclusionThe PPV of hemolytic anemias was moderately high. The PPVs were comparable in the three main categories of overall hemolysis, and congenital and acquired hemolytic anemia.

Development of algorithms based on serum markers and transient elastography for detecting significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B patients: Significant reduction in liver biopsy.

To develop algorithms for detecting significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with the aim of reducing unwarranted liver biopsy. For 307 CHB patients, the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), the fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4), and the result of transient elastography with FibroScan (FS) were obtained when a liver biopsy was carried out. All patients were classified based on APRI or FIB-4 score and further assessed by FS results. Patients who remained unclassified after two steps of evaluation were considered to need liver biopsy. Algorithm implementation found that APRI + FS significantly lowered the requirement for liver biopsy for the detection of significant fibrosis compared to either individual APRI or FS screening (65.1% vs 75.9% or 78.5%, P = 0.003 or <0.001, respectively). The combination of FIB-4 + FS significantly reduced the need for liver biopsy compared to single FIB-4 or FS (58.3% vs 67.4% or 78.5%, P = 0.019 or <0.001, respectively). The FIB-4 + FS algorithm also reduced the need for liver biopsy for detection of significant fibrosis in patients ≥50years old compared to APRI + FS (22.6% vs 56.5%, P <0.001), with a relatively lower accuracy (83.9% vs 98.4%, P = 0.004). Only 3.6% or 1.3% of patients needed liver biopsy for diagnosis of cirrhosis after screening with APRI + FS or FIB-4 + FS, respectively. The APRI + FS and FIB-4 + FS algorithms could significantly reduce the need for liver biopsy with high accuracy, sensitivity, and positive predictive value for diagnosis of significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in CHB patients.

Positive Predictive Values in Diagnosis of Incidental Prostate Cancer

Objective: Although the incidence of incidental prostate cancer (IPCa) decreases in recent years; for patients who performed by transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) due to bladder outlet obstruction with or without prostatism symptoms (BPH), it is still can be seen. This article purposes to answer two questions a) for urologist, which clinical parameters including obesity and smoking have positive predictive value. b) for pathologists; which materials are wholly sampled for reducing the cancer ? Methods: We evaluated 1315 cases who were performed by TURP due to bladder outlet obstruction with or without prostatism symptoms the years 2006-2015. The ages of the patients, smoking, body mass index (BMI), digital rectal examination (DRE) findings, preoperative prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, uroflow values, total prostate volume determined by suprapubic ultrasound and Gleason score were recorded. We analyzed the relationship between these parameters and IPCa. These situation compared with benign prostate tissue materials. Results: Totally 31 cases (2.35%) were found in the IPCa. While the cases of 24 were pT1a, 7 cases were pT1b. Age, body mass index, PSA, peak current speed and mean flow rate parameters respectively 8.887, 5.668, 9.660, 4.814 and 3.716 times as an incidental effect in detecting prostate cancer has been concluded. Conclusion: Older patient age, over the 25 kg/m2 of BMI, over the 4 ng/dl of PSA levels, the peak flow rate less than 10 ml/sec and the mean flow rate less than 5 ml/sec might be independent risk factors for detecting IPCa. More external validation is needed for confirming our results. Key words: Incidental prostate cancer, clinic parameters, diagnosis

Titers of Anti-tissue Transglutaminase Antibody Correlate Well With Severity of Villous Abnormalities in Celiac Disease

We reviewed our celiac disease (CeD) database to study if anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibody (ab) titers correlate with severity of villous abnormalities in Indian patients and to find out a cutoff value of anti-tTG ab fold-rise, which could best predict CeD. Guidelines for diagnosing CeD suggest that biopsy could be avoided in some patients with high anti-tTG ab titer. We reviewed a cohort of 366 anti-tTG ab-positive individuals in whom duodenal biopsies were performed. Anti-tTG ab was obtained before initiation of gluten-free diet. Anti-tTG ab results were expressed in terms of fold-rise by calculating ratio of observed values with cutoff value. CeD was diagnosed if in addition to positive serology, patients had villous atrophy (>Marsh grade 2) and unequivocal response to gluten-free diet. The mean anti-tTG fold-rise in groups with Marsh grade ≤2 was 2.6 (±2.5), grade 3a was 4.0 (±3.9), 3b was 5.7 (±5.1), and 3c was 11.8 (±8.0). The positive likelihood ratio for diagnosing CeD was 15.4 and 27.4 at 12- and 14-fold-rise of anti-tTG ab titer, respectively. The positive predictive value of diagnosis of CeD was 100% when anti-tTG ab titer was 14-fold higher over the cutoff value. Fifty-seven (43.9%) individuals with anti-tTG titer rise <2-fold high also had CeD. As severity of villous abnormality increases, titer of anti-tTG also rises. Presence of villous atrophy can be predicted at very high anti-tTG ab titer. In contrast to emerging belief, mucosal biopsies should be performed even if anti-tTG ab titer is <2 times, because many patients with CeD have low titers.