Response to Letter: Diagnostic Value of Bedside Ultrasound in Acute Appendicitis in ED: Methodological and Statistical Issues on Diagnostic Value

Abstract

The validity of a diagnostic test can be demonstrated by comparing it to a gold standard test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV), positive and negative likelihood ratios, diagnostic odds ratio, and the area under the ROC curve are the parameters that reflect the discriminative ability of a diagnostic study. Diagnostic accuracy is very sensitive to the characteristics of the study population and it is affected by the prevalence or the spectrum of the disease studied. Therefore, it is important to know how to interpret the diagnostic parameters of the tests studied (3).

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