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van Maanen R, Martens ESL, Takada T, Roy PM, de Wit K, Parpia S, Kraaijpoel N, Huisman MV, Wells PS, Le Gal G, Righini M, Freund Y, Galipienzo J, van Es N, Blom JW, Moons KGM, Rutten FH, van Smeden M, Klok FA, Geersing GJ, Luijken K. Accuracy of physicians' intuitive risk estimation in the diagnostic management of pulmonary embolism: an individual patient data meta-analysis. J Thromb Haemost 2023; 21:2873-2883. [PMID: 37263381 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtha.2023.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In patients clinically suspected of having pulmonary embolism (PE), physicians often rely on intuitive estimation ("gestalt") of PE presence. Although shown to be predictive, gestalt is criticized for its assumed variation across physicians and lack of standardization. OBJECTIVES To assess the diagnostic accuracy of gestalt in the diagnosis of PE and gain insight into its possible variation. METHODS We performed an individual patient data meta-analysis including patients suspected of having PE. The primary outcome was diagnostic accuracy of gestalt for the diagnosis of PE, quantified as risk ratio (RR) between gestalt and PE based on 2-stage random-effect log-binomial meta-analysis regression as well as gestalts' sensitivity and specificity. The variability of these measures was explored across different health care settings, publication period, PE prevalence, patient subgroups (sex, heart failure, chronic lung disease, and items of the Wells score other than gestalt), and age. RESULTS We analyzed 20 770 patients suspected of having PE from 16 original studies. The prevalence of PE in patients with and without a positive gestalt was 28.8% vs 9.1%, respectively. The overall RR was 3.02 (95% CI, 2.35-3.87), and the overall sensitivity and specificity were 74% (95% CI, 68%-79%) and 61% (95% CI, 53%-68%), respectively. Although variation was observed across individual studies (I2, 90.63%), the diagnostic accuracy was consistent across all subgroups and health care settings. CONCLUSION A positive gestalt was associated with a 3-fold increased risk of PE in suspected patients. Although variation was observed across studies, the RR of gestalt was similar across prespecified subgroups and health care settings, exemplifying its diagnostic value for all patients suspected of having PE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanne van Maanen
- Department of General Practice, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Emily S L Martens
- Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands. https://twitter.com/ESLmartens
| | - Toshihiko Takada
- Department of General Medicine, Shirakawa Satellite for Teaching And Research (STAR), Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Pierre-Marie Roy
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Angers University Hospital; MitoVasc UMR CNRS 6015 - INSERM 1083, Université Angers, Angers; and French Clinical Research Infrastructure (F-CRIN) Network, INvestigation Network On Venous Thrombo-Embolism (INNOVTE), Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Kerstin de Wit
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
| | - Sameer Parpia
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Noémie Kraaijpoel
- Department of Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Menno V Huisman
- Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Philip S Wells
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Grégoire Le Gal
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Marc Righini
- Division of Angiology and Hemostasis, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Yonathan Freund
- Sorbonne University, Emergency Department, Hopital Pitie-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Javier Galipienzo
- Service of Anesthesiology, MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nick van Es
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Department of Vascular Medicine, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Pulmonary Hypertension & Thrombosis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jeanet W Blom
- Department of General Practice, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Karel G M Moons
- Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Frans H Rutten
- Department of General Practice, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Maarten van Smeden
- Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Frederikus A Klok
- Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Geert-Jan Geersing
- Department of General Practice, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kim Luijken
- Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Coelho J, Divernet-Queriaud M, Roy PM, Penaloza A, Le Gal G, Trinh-Duc A. Comparison of the Wells score and the revised Geneva score as a tool to predict pulmonary embolism in outpatients over age 65. Thromb Res 2020; 196:120-126. [PMID: 32862033 DOI: 10.1016/j.thromres.2020.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
TITLE Comparison of the Wells score and the revised Geneva score as a tool to predict pulmonary embolism in outpatients over 65 years of age. INTRODUCTION The incidence and mortality of pulmonary embolism (PE) is high in the elderly. The Wells score (SW) and the revised Geneva score (RGS) have been validated in patient populations with a large age range. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive accuracy of these two scores in diagnosis of PE in patients over 65 years of age. METHOD A prospective multicentre study (nine French and three Belgian centres) was conducted at the same time as the PERCEPIC study. A total of 1757 patients admitted with suspected PE were included and divided into two groups according to age (≥65 years or <65 years). The pre-test probability of PE was assessed prospectively for the RGS. The SW was calculated retrospectively. The predictive accuracy of the two scores was compared by the area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curves. RESULTS The overall prevalence of PE was 11.3%. The prevalence among patients aged ≥65 in the low, moderate and high pre-test probability groups, evaluated using the WS and was respectively 13.5% (CI 95%: CI 9.9-17.3), 28.2% (CI 22.1-34.3), 50% (CI 26-74) and 8.1% (CI 3.2-12.9), 22.3% (CI 18.2-26.3), 43.7% (CI 25.6-61.9) using the RGS. The AUC for the WS and RGS for patients aged ≥65 was 0.632 (CI 0.574-0.691) and 0.610 (CI 0.555-0.666). The difference between the AUCs was not statistically significant (p = .441). CONCLUSION In the population for this study, the WS and RGS have the same PE diagnostic accuracy in patients over age 65. This result should be validated in a prospective study that directly compares these scores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Coelho
- Centre Hospitalier d'Agen-Nérac, Site St Esprit, 21 route de Villeneuve, 47923 Agen, France.
| | | | - Pierre-Marie Roy
- Emergency Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Angers, Institut Mitovasc, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Andréa Penaloza
- Emergency Department, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Grégoire Le Gal
- Division of Hematology-Thrombosis Program, Department of Medicine, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Albert Trinh-Duc
- Centre Hospitalier d'Agen-Nérac, Site St Esprit, 21 route de Villeneuve, 47923 Agen, France
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Ma Y, Wang Y, Liu D, Ning Z, An M, Wu Q, Lin Y. A safe strategy to rule out pulmonary embolism: The combination of the Wells score and D-dimer test: One prospective study. Thromb Res 2017. [PMID: 28647676 DOI: 10.1016/j.thromres.2017.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuxia Ma
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, China.
| | - Yuliang Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dengxiang Liu
- Xingtai People's Hospital, Xingtai Institute of Cancer Control, Xingtai, China
| | - Zhenyuan Ning
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min An
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qijing Wu
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yong Lin
- Department of Emergency, Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
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Ma Y, Huang J, Wang Y, Wu T, Cai D, Liu Y, Wu Q, Hui J, Shi Y. Comparison of the Wells score with the revised Geneva score for assessing pretest probability of pulmonary embolism in hospitalized elderly patients. Eur J Intern Med 2016; 36:e18-e19. [PMID: 27650507 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejim.2016.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuxia Ma
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, China.
| | - Jiale Huang
- Department of Cardiology, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuliang Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tongwei Wu
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Danxian Cai
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanna Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qijing Wu
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jialiang Hui
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Shi
- Department of Emergency, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China; Department of Emergency, The Second People's Hospital of Huai'an, Huai'an, China.
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Hendriksen JMT, Lucassen WAM, Erkens PMG, Stoffers HEJH, van Weert HCPM, Büller HR, Hoes AW, Moons KGM, Geersing GJ. Ruling Out Pulmonary Embolism in Primary Care: Comparison of the Diagnostic Performance of "Gestalt" and the Wells Rule. Ann Fam Med 2016; 14:227-34. [PMID: 27184993 PMCID: PMC4868561 DOI: 10.1370/afm.1930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Diagnostic prediction models such as the Wells rule can be used for safely ruling out pulmonary embolism (PE) when it is suspected. A physician's own probability estimate ("gestalt"), however, is commonly used instead. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of both approaches in primary care. METHODS Family physicians estimated the probability of PE on a scale of 0% to 100% (gestalt) and calculated the Wells rule score in 598 patients with suspected PE who were thereafter referred to secondary care for definitive testing. We compared the discriminative ability (c statistic) of both approaches. Next, we stratified patients into PE risk categories. For gestalt, a probability of less than 20% plus a negative point-of-care d-dimer test indicated low risk; for the Wells rule, we used a score of 4 or lower plus a negative d-dimer test. We compared sensitivity, specificity, efficiency (percentage of low-risk patients in total cohort), and failure rate (percentage of patients having PE within the low-risk category). RESULTS With 3 months of follow-up, 73 patients (12%) were confirmed to have venous thromboembolism (a surrogate for PE at baseline). The c statistic was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.70-0.83) for gestalt and 0.80 (95% CI, 0.75-0.86) for the Wells rule. Gestalt missed 2 out of 152 low-risk patients (failure rate = 1.3%; 95% CI, 0.2%-4.7%) with an efficiency of 25% (95% CI, 22%-29%); the Wells rule missed 4 out of 272 low-risk patients (failure rate = 1.5%; 95% CI, 0.4%-3.7%) with an efficiency of 45% (95% CI, 41%-50%). CONCLUSIONS Combined with d-dimer testing, both gestalt using a cutoff of less than 20% and the Wells rule using a score of 4 or lower are safe for ruling out PE in primary care. The Wells rule is more efficient, however, and PE can be ruled out in a larger proportion of suspected cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janneke M T Hendriksen
- Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Wim A M Lucassen
- Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Petra M G Erkens
- Department of Family Medicine, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Henri E J H Stoffers
- Department of Family Medicine, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Henk C P M van Weert
- Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Harry R Büller
- Department of Vascular Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Arno W Hoes
- Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Karel G M Moons
- Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Geert-Jan Geersing
- Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Guo DJ, Zhao C, Zou YD, Huang XH, Hu JM, Guo L. Values of the Wells and revised Geneva scores combined with D-dimer in diagnosing elderly pulmonary embolism patients. Chin Med J (Engl) 2015; 128:1052-7. [PMID: 25881599 PMCID: PMC4832945 DOI: 10.4103/0366-6999.155085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pulmonary embolism (PE) can be difficult to diagnose in elderly patients because of the coexistent diseases and the combination of drugs that they have taken. We aimed to compare the clinical diagnostic values of the Wells score, the revised Geneva score and each of them combined with D-dimer for suspected PE in elderly patients. METHODS Three hundred and thirty-six patients who were admitted for suspected PE were enrolled retrospectively and divided into two groups based on age (≥65 or <65 years old). The Wells and revised Geneva scores were applied to evaluate the clinical probability of PE, and the positive predictive values of both scores were calculated using computed tomography pulmonary arteriography as a gold standard; overall accuracy was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operator characteristic curve; the negative predictive values of D-dimer, the Wells score combined with D-dimer, and the revised Geneva score combined with D-dimer were calculated. RESULTS Ninety-six cases (28.6%) were definitely diagnosed as PE among 336 cases, among them 56 cases (58.3%) were ≥65 years old. The positive predictive values of Wells and revised Geneva scores were 65.8% and 32.4%, respectively (P < 0.05) in the elderly patients; the AUC for the Wells score and the revised Geneva score in elderly was 0.682 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.612-0.746) and 0.655 (95% CI: 0.584-0.722), respectively (P = 0.389). The negative predictive values of D-dimer, the Wells score combined with D-dimer, and the revised Geneva score combined with D-dimer were 93.7%, 100%, and 100% in the elderly, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The diagnostic value of the Wells score was higher than the revised Geneva score for the elderly cases with suspected PE. The combination of either the Wells score or the revised Geneva score with a normal D-dimer concentration is a safe strategy to rule out PE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan-Jie Guo
- Department of Cardiology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China
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Erkens PMG, Lucassen WAM, Geersing GJ, van Weert HCPM, Kuijs-Augustijn M, van Heugten M, Rietjens L, ten Cate H, Prins MH, Büller HR, Hoes AW, Moons KGM, Oudega R, Stoffers HEJH. Alternative diagnoses in patients in whom the GP considered the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Fam Pract 2014; 31:670-7. [PMID: 25216665 DOI: 10.1093/fampra/cmu055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pulmonary embolism (PE) often presents with nonspecific symptoms and may be an easily missed diagnosis. When the differential diagnosis includes PE, an empirical list of frequently occurring alternative diagnoses could support the GP in diagnostic decision making. OBJECTIVES To identify common alternative diagnoses in patients in whom the GP suspected PE but in whom PE could be ruled out. To investigate how the Wells clinical decision rule for PE combined with a point-of-care d-dimer test is associated with these alternative diagnoses. METHODS Secondary analysis of the Amsterdam Maastricht Utrecht Study on thrombo-Embolism (Amuse-2) study, which validated the Wells PE rule combined with point-of-care d-dimer testing in primary care. All 598 patients had been referred to and diagnosed in secondary care. All diagnostic information was retrieved from the GPs' medical records. RESULTS In 516 patients without PE, the most frequent alternative diagnoses were nonspecific thoracic pain/dyspnoea (42.6%), pneumonia (13.0%), myalgia (11.8%), asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (4.8%), panic disorder/hyperventilation (4.1%) and respiratory tract infection (2.3%). Pneumonia occurred almost as frequent as PE. Patients without PE with either a positive Wells rule (>4) or a positive d-dimer test, were more often (odds ratio = 2.1) diagnosed with a clinically relevant disease than patients with a negative Wells rule and negative d-dimer test. CONCLUSION In primary care patients suspected of PE, the most common clinically relevant diagnosis other than PE was pneumonia. A positive Wells rule or a positive d-dimer test are not only positively associated with PE, but also with a high probability of other clinically relevant disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra M G Erkens
- Department of Family Medicine, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Department of Internal Medicine, Laboratory for Clinical Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM) and Department of Clinical Epidemiology, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht,
| | - Wim A M Lucassen
- Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam and
| | - Geert-Jan Geersing
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Henk C P M van Weert
- Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam and
| | - Marlous Kuijs-Augustijn
- Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam and
| | - Marloes van Heugten
- Department of Family Medicine, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI)
| | - Lonneke Rietjens
- Department of Family Medicine, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI)
| | - Hugo ten Cate
- Department of Internal Medicine, Laboratory for Clinical Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM) and
| | - Martin H Prins
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht
| | - Harry R Büller
- Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam and
| | - Arno W Hoes
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Karel G M Moons
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Ruud Oudega
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Henri E J H Stoffers
- Department of Family Medicine, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI)
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Wong DD, Ramaseshan G, Mendelson RM. Comparison of the Wells and Revised Geneva Scores for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism: an Australian experience. Intern Med J 2012; 41:258-63. [PMID: 20214691 DOI: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2010.02204.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Clinical prediction rules form an integral component of guidelines on the diagnostic approach to pulmonary embolism (PE). The Wells Score is commonly used but is subjective, while the newer Revised Geneva Score is based entirely on objective variables. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the Wells and Revised Geneva Scores for the diagnosis of PE. METHODS Patients presenting to the emergency department with clinically suspected PE and referred for CT pulmonary angiogram or ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy were evaluated. The Wells and Revised Geneva Scores were calculated on the same cohort of patients and dichotomized into low and intermediate/high probability groups. The sensitivities and specificities were compared using McNemar's test. Overall accuracy was determined using receiver operator characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS A total of 98 consecutive patients was included. The overall prevalence of PE was 15.3%. The frequency of PE in the low, intermediate and high probability groups was similar for both clinical prediction rules. Compared with the Revised Geneva Score, the Wells Score showed a lower sensitivity with borderline significance (46.7% vs 80.0%, P= 0.06) and a significantly higher specificity (67.5% vs 47.0%, P= 0.002). The overall accuracy of both rules was similar (P= 0.617). CONCLUSION Using the accepted guidelines in which a high pretest probability leads to further imaging and a low probability leads to a D-dimer blood test, use of the more specific Wells Score could safely reduce the number of unnecessary scans. This would need to be confirmed with larger, prospective trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- D D Wong
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Robert-Ebadi H, Righini M. [Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism]. Rev Mal Respir 2011; 28:790-9. [PMID: 21742240 DOI: 10.1016/j.rmr.2010.10.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2010] [Accepted: 10/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) is based on a "diagnostic strategy" rather than a single test. The first step, after identifying patients with suspicion of PE, is to establish the pre-test clinical probability. Several scores are available to make a standardised and reproducible assessment of the clinical probability and these, therefore, represent valuable diagnostic tools. Indeed, it is the clinical probability that guides further investigation. In patients with low or intermediate clinical probability, PE can be safely ruled out by a negative D-dimer in approximately one-third of patients without additional imaging. In the case of a positive D-dimer or high clinical probability, CT pulmonary angiography is now the recommended imaging technique. However, lower limb venous compression ultrasound and ventilation/perfusion scans remain useful in patients with contraindications to CT; mainly those with renal insufficiency. In the presence of readily available and strongly validated diagnostic strategies, the challenge for the future will probably be better identification of patients in whom PE should be suspected.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Robert-Ebadi
- Service d'angiologie et d'hémostase, hôpitaux universitaires de Genève, Genève, Suisse.
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10
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Comparison of the Wells score with the simplified revised Geneva score for assessing pretest probability of pulmonary embolism. Thromb Res 2010; 127:81-4. [PMID: 21094985 DOI: 10.1016/j.thromres.2010.10.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2010] [Revised: 10/19/2010] [Accepted: 10/25/2010] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Wells score is widely used in the assessment of pretest probability of pulmonary embolism (PE). The revised Geneva score is a fully standardized clinical decision rule that was recently validated and further simplified. We compared the predictive accuracy of these two scores. METHODS Data from 339 patients clinically suspected of PE from two prospective management studies were used and combined. Pretest probability of PE was assessed prospectively by the Wells score. The simplified revised (SR) Geneva score was calculated retrospectively. The predictive accuracy of both scores was compared by area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS The overall prevalence of PE was 19%. Prevalence of PE in the low, moderate and high pretest probability groups assessed by the Wells score and by the simplified revised Geneva score was respectively 2%(95% CI (CI) 1-6) and 4% (CI 2-10), 28% (CI 22-35) and 25% (CI 20-32), 93% (CI 70-99) and 56% (CI 27-81). The Wells score performed better than the simplified revised Geneva score in patients with a high suspicion of PE (p<0.05). The AUC for the Wells score and the simplified revised Geneva score was 0.85 (CI: 0.81 to 0.89) and 0.76 (CI: 0.71 to 0.80) respectively. The difference between the AUCs was statistically significant (p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS In our population the Wells score appeared to be more accurate than the simplified revised Geneva score. The impact of this finding in terms of patient outcomes should be investigated in a prospective study.
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Duriseti RS, Brandeau ML. Cost-effectiveness of strategies for diagnosing pulmonary embolism among emergency department patients presenting with undifferentiated symptoms. Ann Emerg Med 2010; 56:321-332.e10. [PMID: 20605261 PMCID: PMC3699695 DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2010.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2009] [Revised: 03/10/2010] [Accepted: 03/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE Symptoms associated with pulmonary embolism can be nonspecific and similar to many competing diagnoses, leading to excessive costly testing and treatment, as well as missed diagnoses. Objective studies are essential for diagnosis. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of different diagnostic strategies in an emergency department (ED) for patients presenting with undifferentiated symptoms suggestive of pulmonary embolism. METHODS Using a probabilistic decision model, we evaluated the incremental costs and effectiveness (quality-adjusted life-years gained) of 60 testing strategies for 5 patient pretest categories (distinguished by Wells score [high, moderate, or low] and whether deep venous thrombosis is clinically suspected). We performed deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. RESULTS In the base case, for all patient pretest categories, the most cost-effective diagnostic strategy is to use an initial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay D-dimer test, followed by compression ultrasonography of the lower extremities if the D-dimer is above a specified cutoff. The level of the preferred cutoff varies with the Wells pretest category and whether a deep venous thrombosis is clinically suspected. D-dimer cutoffs higher than the current recommended cutoff were often preferred for patients with even moderate and high Wells categories. Compression ultrasonography accuracy had to decrease below commonly cited levels in the literature before it was not part of a preferred strategy. CONCLUSION When pulmonary embolism is suspected in the ED, use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay D-dimer assay, often at cutoffs higher than those currently in use (for patients in whom deep venous thrombosis is not clinically suspected), followed by compression ultrasonography as appropriate, can reduce costs and improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ram S Duriseti
- Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
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Abstract
Current diagnostic management of hemodynamically stable patients with clinically suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE) consists of the accurate and rapid distinction between the approximate 20-25% of patients who have acute PE and require anticoagulant treatment, and the overall majority of patients who do not have the disease in question. Clinical outcome studies have demonstrated that, using algorithms with sequential diagnostic tests, PE can be safely ruled out in patients with a clinical probability indicating PE to be unlikely and a normal D-dimer test result. This obviates the need for additional radiological imaging tests in 20-40% of patients. CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) has become the first line tool to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of PE in patients with a likely probability of PE or an elevated D-dimer blood concentration. While single-row-detector technology CTPA has a low sensitivity for PE and bilateral compression ultrasound (CUS) of the lower limbs is considered necessary to rule out PE, multi-row-detector CTPA is safe to exclude PE without the confirmatory use of CUS.
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Affiliation(s)
- M V Huisman
- Section of Vascular Medicine, Department of General Internal Medicine-Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Klok FA, Kruisman E, Spaan J, Nijkeuter M, Righini M, Aujesky D, Roy PM, Perrier A, Le Gal G, Huisman MV. Comparison of the revised Geneva score with the Wells rule for assessing clinical probability of pulmonary embolism. J Thromb Haemost 2008; 6:40-4. [PMID: 17973649 DOI: 10.1111/j.1538-7836.2007.02820.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The revised Geneva score, a standardized clinical decision rule in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE), was recently developed. The Wells clinical decision is widely used but lacks full standardization, as it includes subjective clinician's judgement. We have compared the performance of the revised Geneva score with the Wells rule, and their usefulness for ruling out PE in combination with D-dimer measurement. METHODS In 300 consecutive patients, the clinical probability of PE was assessed prospectively by the Wells rule and retrospectively using the revised Geneva score. Patients comprised a random sample from a single center, participating in a large prospective multicenter diagnostic study. The predictive accuracy of both scores was compared by area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS The overall prevalence of PE was 16%. The prevalence of PE in the low-probability, intermediate-probability and high-probability categories as classified by the revised Geneva score was similar to that of the original derivation set. The performance of the revised Geneva score as measured by the AUC in a ROC analysis did not differ statistically from the Wells rule. After 3 months of follow-up, no patient classified into the low or intermediate clinical probability category by the revised Geneva score and a normal D-dimer result was subsequently diagnosed with acute venous thromboembolism. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the performance of the revised Geneva score is equivalent to that of the Wells rule. In addition, it seems safe to exclude PE in patients by the combination of a low or intermediate clinical probability by the revised Geneva score and a normal D-dimer level. Prospective clinical outcome studies are needed to confirm this latter finding.
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Affiliation(s)
- F A Klok
- Section of Vascular Medicine, Department of General Internal Medicine - Endocrinology, LUMC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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