title: [Key aspects in interpreting clinical trials in radiology].
abstract: A clinical trial is an experimental study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a treatment or diagnostic technique in human beings. To ensure the methodological quality of a clinical trial and the validity of its results, various checklists have been elaborated to identify biases that could invalidate its conclusions. This article focuses on the points we need to consider in the critical evaluation of a clinical trial. We can usually find this information in the "materials and methods" and "results" sections of articles. Randomization, follow-up (or analysis of losses), blinding, and equivalence between groups (apart from the intervention itself) are some key aspects related to design. In the "results" section, we need to consider what measures of clinical efficacy were used (relative risk, odds ratio, or number needed to treat, among others) and the precision of the results (confidence intervals). Once we have confirmed that the clinical trial fulfills these criteria, we need to determine whether the results can be applied in our environment and whether the benefits obtained justify the risks and costs involved.
authors.affiliation: Unidad Clínica de Oncología Radioterápica, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Díaz Gómez
authors.affiliation: Unidad Clínica de Diagnóstico por Imagen, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España. Electronic address: cristina.garcia.villar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: García Villar
authors.affiliation: Unidad Clínica de Oncología Radioterápica, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, España.
authors.forename: Á
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Seguro Fernández
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000145:classification / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D011643:Publishing; D011871:Radiology; D011932:Reading; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013850:Thinking
keywords: Clinical practice; Clinical trials; Diagnostic imaging; Diagnóstico por imagen; Ensayos clínicos; Evidence-based medicine; Evidence-based radiology; Investigación; Medicina basada en la evidencia; Práctica clínica; Radiología basada en la evidencia; Research