Validation of a rapid whole blood test for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori infection

Jun 1, 1997 Editor-"Reduce endoscopy workload by 66% while detecting all peptic ulcers" could have been a headline resulting from the paper by P Moayyedi and colleagues. 1 Moayyedi and colleagues reported excellent results for a rapid blood test that detected Helicobacter pylori infection (sensitivity 88%, specificity 91%). Jun 1, 1997 Editor-The paper by Moayyedi and colleagues presented valuable information about the potential for near patient testing using the Helisal rapid blood test for Helicobacter pylori. 1 However, the authors did not adopt the recommendations of the Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group on diagnostic tests and calculate likelihood ratios (likelihood ratio=sensitivity/(1-specifity).