Abstract

A general protocol for rigorous evaluation of diagnostic systems in medicine was applied successfully in a comparative study of two radiologic techniques. Accuracies of computed tomography and radionuclide scanning in detecting, localizing, and diagnosing brain lesions were assessed with a sample of patients in whom tumor had been suspected. The principal means of analysis was the "relative operating characteristic," which is unique in providing a measure of accuracy that is largely independent of decision biases. Computed tomography was found to be substantially more accurate than radionuclide scanning.

Keywords

Computed tomographyTomographyNuclear medicineMedical physicsSample (material)Measure (data warehouse)Protocol (science)Brain scanningMedicinePrincipal (computer security)RadiologyComputer scienceArtificial intelligenceData miningPathologyPhysics

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Publication Info

Year
1979
Type
article
Volume
205
Issue
4408
Pages
753-759
Citations
196
Access
Closed

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Cite This

John A. Swets, Susan F. Whitehead, David J. Getty et al. (1979). Assessment of Diagnostic Technologies. Science , 205 (4408) , 753-759. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.462188

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DOI
10.1126/science.462188