The diagnostic importance of the normal finding.
When a diagnostic test is reported as normal, the clinician generally uses it only to rule out certain diseases. However, if properly interpreted, the normal value may help to differentiate among diagnoses that yield normal results with different frequencies. A simple method permits the extraction of such information. The physician estimates the probability of various diagnoses and then combines these estimates with the anticipated frequency of negative results for each disease under consideration.
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001922:Brain Abscess / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003933:Diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D011336:Probability; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012016:Reference Values; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis