An article in the British Medical Journal [Comparison of Treatment of Renal Calculi by | StudySoup

Textbook Solutions for Applied Statistics and Probability for Engineers

Chapter 2 Problem 2-115

Question

An article in the British Medical Journal [Comparison of Treatment of Renal Calculi by Operative Surgery, Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy, and Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (1986, Vol. 82, pp. 879892)] provided the following discussion of success rates in kidney stone removals. Open surgery had a success rate of 78% (273/350) while a newer method, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PN),had a success rate of 83% (289/350). This newer method looked better, but the results changed when stone diameter was considered. For stones with diameters less than two centimeters, 93% (81/87) of cases of open surgery were successful compared with only 83% (234/270) of cases of PN. For stones greater than or equal to two centimeters, the success rates were 73% (192/263) and 69% (55/80) for open surgery and PN, respectively. Open surgery is better for both stone sizes, but less successful in total. In 1951, E. H. Simpson pointed out this apparent contradiction (known as Simpsons Paradox) but the hazard still persists today. Explain how open surgery can be better for both stone sizes but worse in total.

Solution

Step 1 of 6)

The first step in solving 2 problem number 115 trying to solve the problem we have to refer to the textbook question: An article in the British Medical Journal [Comparison of Treatment of Renal Calculi by Operative Surgery, Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy, and Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (1986, Vol. 82, pp. 879892)] provided the following discussion of success rates in kidney stone removals. Open surgery had a success rate of 78% (273/350) while a newer method, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PN),had a success rate of 83% (289/350). This newer method looked better, but the results changed when stone diameter was considered. For stones with diameters less than two centimeters, 93% (81/87) of cases of open surgery were successful compared with only 83% (234/270) of cases of PN. For stones greater than or equal to two centimeters, the success rates were 73% (192/263) and 69% (55/80) for open surgery and PN, respectively. Open surgery is better for both stone sizes, but less successful in total. In 1951, E. H. Simpson pointed out this apparent contradiction (known as Simpsons Paradox) but the hazard still persists today. Explain how open surgery can be better for both stone sizes but worse in total.
From the textbook chapter Probability you will find a few key concepts needed to solve this.

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full solution

Title Applied Statistics and Probability for Engineers 5 
Author Douglas C. Montgomery, George C. Runger
ISBN 9780470053041

An article in the British Medical Journal [Comparison of Treatment of Renal Calculi by

Chapter 2 textbook questions

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