[Does the SETK 3-5 detect clinically diagnosed language impairment?]. / Werden mit dem SETK 3-5 klinisch diagnostizierte Sprachentwicklungsstörungen erfasst?

BACKGROUND: The German language development test for 3- to 5-year-olds (SETK 3-5) as well as its short form, the language screening for pre-school children (SSV), are widely used tests for language impairment in German mother-tongue children. However, data published on validation are sparse. We investigated to what extent those children who demonstrated language impairment in clinical assessment were also detected by the SETK 3-5 and SSV tests. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A group of 201 children aged 4-5 years was tested using the SETK 3-5, in addition to which assessments in phonology, active vocabulary, grammar, receptive language abilities, and the recall of nonsense syllables and sentences were conducted. Correlation analyses were performed and the clinical assessment based on the aforementioned tests was compared to the results of the SETK 3-5 and the SSV. RESULTS: Raw values of the test results were significantly correlated on different levels of correlation. Those of comparable subtests were high. The SETK 3-5 had good specificity but sensitivity of only 71.9%. CONCLUSION: Children with language impairment are not always detected using the SETK 3-5 test. Standardization with a sufficient number of children should be carried out.

Comparison of the detectability of UBOs in Neurofibromatosis Type I patients with proton density-weighted and FLAIR sequences in 3T MRI.

OBJECTIVE: In NF 1 patients, significant numbers of so-called unidentified bright objects (UBOs) can be found. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the detectability of UBOs increases at 3T by comparing Proton density-weighted images (PDw) with fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 14 NF1 patients (7 male, 7 female, between 8 and 26 years old, mean age 15.4 years) were examined by a 3T magnetic resonance scanner. The presence of UBOs was evaluated on PD-w and FLAIR images by 4 evaluators. Detectability was rated by a three-point scoring system: lesions which were "well defined/detectable", "suspicious" or "detected after a second look". The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparisons between the raters. The level of significance was P < 0.05. RESULTS: Significantly more lesions were marked as "well defined/detectable" in the PD-w Sequence compared to FLAIR at 3T (P < 0.001 for all four evaluators together, as well as for each evaluator separately). In particular, PD-w proved to be superior for detecting UBOs located in the medulla oblongata, dentate nucleus and hippocampal region, regardless of the level of the raters' experience. CONCLUSION: This is the first study which compares FLAIR and PD-w at 3T for the diagnosis of UBOs in NF1. At this field strength significantly more UBOs were detected in the PD-w compared to FLAIR sequences, especially for the infratentorial regions. As UBOs occur at very early stages of the disease in patients with suspected NF1, PD-w might aid in the early diagnosis when using 3T scanners.