Radionuclide detection of biliary atresia. Illustration of a structural method to guide test evaluation

This paper illustrates the conceptual framework for test evaluation developed in the preceding paper. Reanalysis of published data, guided by this framework, contradicts preliminary conclusions about the limited statistical discrimination of a radionuclide scan to discriminate neonatal hepatitis from biliary atresia. It also clarifies the need in future evaluations to consider a number of factors not mentioned in many previous studies.