Study designs of evaluations included in the review
No inclusion criteria relating to study design were specified and the authors did not provide details of the study designs included.
Specific interventions included in the review
The included studies had to evaluate the ability of duplex ultrasonography or colour-guided duplex ultrasonography to detect or exclude a significant lesion, defined as stenosis of 50 to 99%, or an occlusion.
Reference standard test against which the new test was compared
Studies using contrast angiography as the reference standard were eligible for inclusion.
Participants included in the review
Studies of patients with PAD of the lower limbs were eligible for inclusion. The analysis was limited to aortoiliac and femoropopliteal segments because only two studies reported the results of infrapopliteal arteries.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Studies where the data to populate a 2x2 table were available, or were derivable from the data presented, were eligible for inclusion.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for review, or how many of the reviewers performed the selection.