A positive AJR test correlates with the pulmonary artery pressure and thus is a marker for right heart dysfunction,[2] specifically right ventricular failure.
[1] Reflux in this context means backup of the circulatory system and is not to be confused with reflex.
[3] The clinician presses firmly over either the right upper quadrant of the abdomen (i.e., over the liver) or over the center of the abdomen [2] for 10 seconds with a pressure of 20 to 35 mm Hg while observing the swelling of the internal jugular vein in the neck and also observing to be sure the patient does not perform a Valsalva maneuver.
[4] On an otherwise healthy individual, the jugular venous pressure remains constant or temporarily rises for a heartbeat or two, before returning to normal.
The large discrepancy in sensitivity may be explained by the higher value being reported during performance in optimal conditions of a cardiac lab while the lower value was from a study in an emergency department.