Paul Geisler, EdD, ATC

Evidence-based Diagnostic Testing Series

Quiz for Diagnostic Testing for Knee Injuries

1. All of the following are key elements of the Ottawa Knee Rules for determining the presence of
a potential fracture at or near the knee, except:
a. 25 years old
b. Unable to flex the knee at least 90 degrees
c. Unable to WB post injury for 4 steps
d. Point tender to palpation on patella
2. All of the following are strong special tests of the knee, that alone are useful in diagnosing their
intended condition?
a. Clarke’s Sign
b. Pivot Shift
c. McMurray’s
d. Lachman’s
3. As a general rule, if a special test’s sensitivity and specificity scores equal or exceed , the
test has good to excellent diagnostic accuracy, and can thus be relied upon.
a. 170
b. 150
c. 100
4. True or False: All of the knee ligament special tests are highly accurate when performed in
isolation, and thus a clinician can be comfortable with a negative result.
5. All of the following are manners in which Dx accuracy can be numerically expressed, except:
a. Positive & Negative Predictive Values
b. Sensitivity and Specificity
c. Clinician Opinion
d. Likelihood Ratios
e. A, B, D
6. A special test’s sensitivity means that it:
a. It is a measure of the true positive rate
b. If it is negative, you can rule out the condition you are testing for
c. A positive test result should be treated with caution
d. It is more important for serious conditions
e. All of the above
7. Pooling positive results from the following tests is the most accurate way to clinically diagnose a
medial meniscal tear:
a. McMurray’s
b. Joint Line tenderness
c. Thessaly at 5 degrees of flexion
d. Thessaly at 20 degrees of flexion
e. Apley’s Grind
f. A, B, D
8. The Lachman’s Test has a high sensitivity (86), but moderate specificity (60), meaning that:
a. It reveals or includes many true positive results
b. It includes too many false positive results
c. If the test is negative, you can rule it out
d. We can use the SNOUT pneumonic
e. All of the above

9. The Lever Sign Test is a test that has some diagnostic value/accuracy for determining ACL tears
because:
a. Numerous studies have reported high specificity results
b. Numerous studies have reported high sensitivity results
c. It works well for both acute and chronic conditions

10. True or False: Diagnostic accuracy is defined simply as the ability to discriminate between
patients who have or don’t have a specific disorder, and must be compared to a gold standard in
order to be determined.