Source: Annual Congress 2011 - The new clinical spectrum of lung diseases: from bronchi to pleura

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study two alternative criteria to differentiate between exudates and transudates:a) pleural fluid cholesterol and b)the ratio of pleural fluid cholesterol to serum cholesterol in order to compare their diagnostic value with the widely accepted and used Light‘s criteria.
MATERIAL - METHOD: 97 patients with pleural effusion were tested. According to Light‘s criteria there were 29 transudative and 68 exudative pleural effusions. Pleural fluid and serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase, protein and cholesterol were measured using colorimetric methods and a biochemical analyzer.
RESULTS: Using as a cut-off value for the pleural fluid cholesterol the value of 65mg% (the upper limit to identify a pleural effusion as a transudate) this criterion yielded a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 79%. Using the alternative criterion of pleural fluid cholesterol to serum cholesterol ratio(and a cut-off level of 0,4 as the upper limit to identify a transudate) the sensitivity was 87% and the specificity was even greater at 81%.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that using pleural fluid cholesterol and pleural fluid cholesterol/serum cholesterol ratio may be useful for the differential diagnosis between transudates and exudates, and can provide assistance especially where other criteria are marginal or ambiguous.

Rating:

Share or cite this content

Citations should be made in the following way:
K. Kosmidis, S. Patiakas (Kastoria, Greece). Evaluation of the utility of using pleural fluid cholesterol as a new criterion for the differential diagnosis between transudates and exudates. Eur Respir J 2011; 38: Suppl. 55, 498

Member's Comments

No comment yet.

Related content which might interest you: The role of pleural cholesterol in distinguishing transudates from exudates Source: Eur Respir J 2003; 22: Suppl. 45, 60s Year: 2003 Evaluation of efficacy of discrimination of pleural transudates and exudates by measuring specific gravity of pleural effusion fluid using refractometer Source: Eur Respir J 2006; 28: Suppl. 50, 581s Year: 2006 Is pleural cholesterol useful for differentiation between exudates and transudates? Source: Eur Respir J 2005; 26: Suppl. 49, 447s Year: 2005 Comparison of the effectiveness of Light criteria and some other proposed criteria in differentiation of pleural fluids as exudates or transudates Source: Annual Congress 2003 - Pleural effusion Year: 2003 Differential diagnosis of pleural effusion based upon the cytoanalysis of the pleural fluid Source: Eur Respir J 2006; 28: Suppl. 50, 455s Year: 2006 Diagnostic yield of sl-selectin in differentiation of transudates from exudates in pleural effusions Source: Eur Respir J 2005; 26: Suppl. 49, 448s Year: 2005 Incidence and diagnostic utility of pleural fluid eosinophilia Source: Annual Congress 2008 - Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in pleural diseases Year: 2008 Pleural fluid and plasma D-dimer levels tuberculous pleurisy: the diagnostic value and relation with clinical parameters Source: Annual Congress 2009 - Extrapulmonary tuberculosis and non-tuberculous-mycobacteria (NTM) infections Year: 2009 Utility of pleural fluid glucose measurement in TB pleural effusions. Source: Virtual Congress 2020 – The young, the old and extrapulmonary tuberculosis Year: 2020 The use of pleural fluid C-reactive protein level, as a diagnostic marker for pleural effusions Source: Annual Congress 2009 - Diagnosis of pleural effusions and rare tumours experience Year: 2009 Diagnostic utility of pleural fluid eosinophilia Source: Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 439s Year: 2002 Utility of pleural fluid for predictive marker testing in malignant pleural effusion Source: Virtual Congress 2020 – Malignant pleural effusion in 2020: understanding the biology and clinical implications Year: 2020 Pleural fluid leptin level for the differential diagnosis of pleural effusion Source: Eur Respir J 2006; 28: Suppl. 50, 343s Year: 2006 The diagnostic value of pleural fluid C-reactive protein level in pleural effusions Source: Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 356s Year: 2002 Diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid NTpro-BNP for pleural effusions of cardiac origin Source: Annual Congress 2012 - Novelties in clinical management of thoracic diseases: from diaphragm to pleura Year: 2012 The diagnostic role of pleural fluid and serum Pentraxin-3 levels in the determination of the etiology of pleural effusion Source: International Congress 2017 – Best clinical practice for the management of chronic lung diseases Year: 2017 Reumathoid factor: diagnostic utility in pleural fluid Source: Eur Respir J 2003; 22: Suppl. 45, 191s Year: 2003 Accuracy of pleural fluid c-reactive protein in differentiating between tuberculous and malignant pleural effusions: a meta-analysis Source: International Congress 2019 – Tuberculosis and comorbidities Year: 2019 Diagnostic utility of biochemical parameters in patients with pleural effusions Source: Eur Respir J 2001; 18: Suppl. 33, 386s Year: 2001 Pleural fluid procalcitonin levels in identifying pleural effusions due to infection Source: Annual Congress 2009 - Aetiology and diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections Year: 2009