[ROC-curve analysis. A statistical method for the evaluation of diagnostic tests].

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC)-curves are a statistical method which may be employed inter alii for assessing a diagnostic test. These have been employed particularly in radiology but have also been employed for assessing laboratory tests and obstetric estiamation scales. The method is based on an analysis of nosological probabilities for varying limits of decision thresholds. ROC-curves may be employed for data on ratio/interval scales and data on rank scales. Parametric and non-parametric methods are available for obtaining a single quantitative measurement for the entire ROC-curve and to carry out significance tests between several ROC-curves.