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Our obsession with normal values

Echo Research & Practice volume 5, pages R17–R21 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Normal values provide the background for interpretation of quantitative imaging data and thus are essential information for daily routine. Nevertheless, the ways how normal values are obtained, presented and interpreted, often do not receive the attention they deserve. We review the concepts of normalcy, the implications of typical normal ranges including the types of distribution of normal data, the possibilities to index for confounding biological factors like body surface area and the limitations of the very concept of normal values, demonstrating that there are no easy statistical solutions for difficult clinical problems.

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This work did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Physiology and Cardiology, Akademiska, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Frank A. Flachskampf MD PhD

  2. Imperial College London, NHLI, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK

    Petros Nihoyannopoulos MD PhD

  3. Cardiology, Athens University, Athens, Greece

    Petros Nihoyannopoulos MD PhD

Authors
  1. Frank A. Flachskampf MD PhD
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  2. Petros Nihoyannopoulos MD PhD
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Correspondence to Frank A. Flachskampf MD PhD.

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Flachskampf, F.A., Nihoyannopoulos, P. Our obsession with normal values. Echo Res Pract 5, R17–R21 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1530/ERP-17-0082

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/ERP-17-0082

Key Words

Echo Research & Practice

ISSN: 2055-0464

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