Accuracy of Ottawa ankle rules to exclude fractures of the ankle and mid-foot: systematic review

L.M. Bachmann, E. Kolb, M.T. Koller, J. Steurer, G. ter Riet

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341 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective To summarise the evidence on accuracy of the Ottawa ankle rules, a decision aid for excluding fractures of the ankle and mid-foot. Design Systematic review. Data sources Electronic databases, reference lists of included studies, and experts. Review methods Data were extracted on the study population, the type of Ottawa ankle rules used, and methods. Sensitivities, but not specificities, were pooled using the bootstrap after inspection of the receiver operating characteristics plot. Negative likelihood ratios were pooled for several subgroups, correcting for four main methodological threats to validity. Results 32 studies met the inclusion criteria and 27 studies reporting on 15 581 patients were used for meta-analysis. The pooled negative likelihood ratios for the ankle and mid-foot were 0.08 (95% confidence interval 0.03 to 0.18) and 0.08 (0.03 to 0.20), respectively. The pooled negative likelihood ratio for both regions in children was 0.07 (0.03 to 0.18). Applying these ratios-to a 15% prevalence of fracture gave a less than 1.4% probability of actual fracture in these subgroups. Conclusion Evidence supports the Ottawa ankle rules as an accurate instrument for excluding fractures of the ankle and mid-foot. The instrument has a sensitivity of almost 100% and a modest specificity, and its use should reduce the number of unnecessary radiographs by 30-40%
Original languageUndefined/Unknown
Pages (from-to)417-419
JournalBMJ : British medical journal
Volume326
Issue number7386
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2003

Keywords

  • AMC wi-buiten

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