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Letter
Infallibility of a normal platelet count/spleen diameter ratio in ruling out oesophageal varices?
  1. D J Brotman1,
  2. R G O’Brien2
  1. 1Department of General Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
  2. 2Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
  1. Correspondence to:
    D J Brotman
    Department of General Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; brotmadccf.org

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    We read with interest that an abnormal platelet count/spleen diameter ratio predicts the presence of oesophageal varices (Gut 2003;52:1200–5). This otherwise excellent article contained a statistical error that we would like to bring to your attention.

    The authors reported 100% sensitivity for the diagnostic test (platelet count/spleen diameter ratio at a cut off value of 909) in ruling out the diagnosis of oesophageal varices: all patients with varices had an abnormal ratio. The reported 95% confidence interval (CI) for the sensitivity was 100–100%. This is simply incorrect, and is was probably calculated using …

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