upcoming studies addressing the inadequacies of existing reference values for (adult) echocardiography
NORRE Study
...due to the lack of consistency in current echocardiographic ‘reference values’, their use for clinical decision-making remains questionable.
So reads the ‘background’ section of the upcoming NORRE study (NOrmal Reference Ranges for Echocardiography), enrolling subjects aged 25 – 75yrs in 22 labs (mostly in Europe).
EchoNoRMAL Study
The effectiveness of any diagnostic test is dependent upon the test’s ability to accurately detect abnormalities. An assumption of reliability and validity underlies all medical tests and echocardiography is no exception. The definition of ‘abnormal’ relies on the definition of ‘normal’ and needs to acknowledge normal physiological variation that may arise from factors such as body size, gender, and ethnicity.
So reads the introduction of the EchoNoRMAL study, an effort by ambitious scientists in New Zealand. Also concerning adults, aged 18 and up.
Looks like the adult echo community is winning.
