Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30533551›Full record

ReviewContemporary clinical trials communications2018

Central masked adjudication of stroke diagnosis at trial entry offered no advantage over diagnosis by local clinicians: Secondary analysis and simulation.

Peter J Godolphin, Trish Hepburn, Nikola Sprigg, Liz Walker, Eivind Berge, Ronan Collins, John Gommans, George Ntaios, Stuart Pocock, Kameshwar Prasad and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Contemporary clinical trials communications, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Should we adjudicate outcomes in stroke trials? A systematic review.International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society · 2023
    Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 8 institutions in 6 countries.

Peter J GodolphinStroke Trials Unit, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Trish HepburnNottingham Clinical Trials Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Nikola SpriggStroke Trials Unit, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Liz WalkerStroke Trials Unit, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Eivind BergeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Ronan CollinsTallaght Hospital, Tallaght, Ireland.
John GommansHawke's Bay District Health Board, Hastings, New Zealand.
George NtaiosDepartment of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
Stuart PocockDepartment of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Kameshwar PrasadAll India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Joanna M WardlawNeuroimaging Sciences, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Philip M BathStroke Trials Unit, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Alan A MontgomeryNottingham Clinical Trials Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
University of Nottingham · GBAll India Institute of Medical Sciences · INHawke's Bay Hospital · NZLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBOslo University Hospital · NOTallaght University Hospital · IEUniversity of Edinburgh · GBUniversity of Thessaly · GR

Funding

Department of Health 11/129/109Department of Health PB-PG-0816-20011Medical Research Council G0501797
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCentral adjudication of stroke type is commonly implemented in large multicentre clinical trials. We investigated the effect of central adjudication of diagnosis of stroke type at trial entry in the Efficacy of Nitric Oxide in Stroke (ENOS) trial.

methodsENOS recruited patients with acute ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and diagnostic adjudication was carried out using cranial scans. For this study, diagnoses made by local site clinicians were compared with those by central, masked adjudicators using kappa statistics. The trial primary analysis and subgroup analysis by stroke type were re-analysed using stroke diagnosis made by local clinicians, and simulations were used to assess the impact of increased non-differential misclassification and subgroup effects.

resultsAgreement on stroke type (Ischaemic, Intracerebral Haemorrhage, Unknown stroke type, No-stroke) was high (κ = 0.92). Adjudication of stroke type had no impact on the primary outcome or subgroup analysis by stroke type. With misclassification increased to 10 times the level observed in ENOS and a simulated subgroup effect present, adjudication would have affected trial conclusions.

conclusionsStroke type at trial entry was diagnosed accurately by local clinicians in ENOS. Adjudication of stroke type by central adjudicators had no measurable effect on trial conclusions. Diagnostic adjudication may be important if diagnosis is complex and a treatment-diagnosis interaction is expected.

Indexed as

AdjudicationClinical trialDiagnosisStroke

Identifiers

PMID30533551
PMCPMC6249966
OpenAlexW2900406919

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.