Table 1 Diagnostic studies for analysis.
| Author | Country and year | Inclusion criteria | Outpatients (%) | Prevalence of PE | Sensitivity | Specificity | Study appraisal scores: 0 = no criteria fulfilled, 1 = only some criteria fulfilled, 2 = all criteria fulfilled | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reference standard | Study cohort | Included patients | Excluded patients | CTPA protocol | |||||||
| Nilsson et al15 | Sweden 2002 | Emergency department patients suspected of PE | 100% | 37% | 30/33 | 55/57 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Qanadli et al16 | France 2000 | Patients referred for radiological investigation of PE | 87% | 39% | 56/59 | 89/92 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Remy‐Jardin et al17 | France 1992 | 32 patients suspected of PE and 10 with abnormal chest x rays | Unknown | 54% | 18/18 | 23/24 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| von Steiner et al18 | Germany 1994 | Patients suspected of PE | Unknown | 79% | 30/30 | 8/8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sostman et al19 | USA 1996 | Patients suspected of PE | Unknown | 38% | 9/13 | 14/15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Stone et al20 | Australia 2003 | Patients with non‐diagnostic VQ scans | Unknown | 28% | 4/7 | 17/18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Garg et al21 | USA 1998 | Patients with non‐diagnostic VQ scan, some had normal lower limb ultrasound | Unknown | 20% | 4/6 | 18/18 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Goodman et al22 | USA 1995 | Patients with non‐diagnostic VQs and normal ultrasound | Unknown | 55% | 7/11 | 8/9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Remy‐Jardin et al23 | France 1996 | Patients referred for pulmonary angiography | Unknown | 62% | 39/40 | 25/25 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Drucker et al24 | USA 1998 | Patients referred for pulmonary angiography | Unknown | 32% | 8/15 | 31/32 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ruiz et al25 | Spain 2003 | Patients referred for pulmonary angiography | Unknown | 38% | 22/25 | 30/35 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Winer‐Muram et al26 | USA 2004 | Patients referred for pulmonary angiography | Unknown | 19% | 18/18 | 67/75 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Christiansen et al27 | Sweden 1997 | Patients with high clinical suspicion of PE | Unknown | 31% | 19/22 | 40/44 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
CTPA, computer tomography pulmonary angiogram; PE, pulmonary embolism; VQ, ventilation‐perfusion scan.