Evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of MR imaging at 0.3 T, based on clinical follow up of 3262 examinations.
The results of 4504 0.3 T magnetic resonance (MR) examinations, of which 3262 had clinical follow up are described. The overall true positive rate of MR imaging was 72%, with a range of 69-100%. While the best results were obtained for evaluation of spinal cord syrinx and normal cerebral examinations, 31% of patients with cerebral demyelination were incorrectly diagnosed. The false positive rate was relatively low (3-5% in most cases), but a significant 17% of patients considered to have normal cerebral examinations were later shown to have pathology. While the true positive rate of magnetic resonance imaging was greater than that of the suspected clinical diagnosis (37% correct), the results of this assessment at 0.3 T are significantly poorer than those previously published at 1.5 T.
Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
M
M
Silberstein
B M
BM
Tress
S
S
Rossiter
D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity