Abstract
On the basis of results of barium examination and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy four diagnostic criteria of duodenal ulcer can be formed: 1) radiography reveals an ulcer, 2) endoscopy reveals an ulcer, 3) both radiography and endoscopy reveal an ulcer, and 4) radiography and/or endoscopy reveals an ulcer. in a consecutive series of 156 patients the accuracy of each of the four diagnostic criteria was determined using the findings of an experienced specialist in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy as a reference. the predictive value of a positive diagnosis (PVpos) for the four diagnostic criteria was 0.63, 0.88, 1, and 0.68, respectively, and the predictive value of a negative diagnosis (PVneg) for all four criteria was around 0.90. the selection of diagnostic criteria should therefore depend on the clinical problem
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