OBJECTIVE To determine the diagnostic utility of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in exudative pleural effusions of different etiologies. SETTING AND DESIGN It was an observational study conducted at a tertiary care teaching institute. MATERIALS AND METHODS Of a total of 171 pleural fluid samples, 122 were found to be exudates and were included in the study. Pleural fluid ADA was done for all incl...

BACKGROUND Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a highly aggressive tumor that can be difficult to diagnose, resulting in a delayed diagnosis in some cases. Recent studies have reported that determination of soluble mesothelin-related peptides (SMRP) in pleural fluid may be a promising marker for use in the diagnosis of MM. PATIENTS AND METHODS Pleural fluid SMRP concentration was measured in 68 pa...

The aim of this study was to identify the optimal cut-off value of T cell enzyme-linked immunospot assay for tuberculosis (T-SPOT.TB) and evaluate its diagnostic performance alone (in the peripheral blood) or in combination with the adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity test (in peripheral blood and the pleural fluid) in patients with tuberculous pleurisy.Adult patients presenting with pleural eff...

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the use of pleural fluid ADA, cytology, pleural biopsy and Mantoux test in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion. This prospective study was conducted on 92 patients December 2011– October 2013 at Government Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis Hospital, Hanamkonda. Diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid cytology (L/N ratio >0.75) , ADA >40 U/L...

We studied 75 patients with nonmalignant pleural effusions (50 with pneumopathy, 16 with pulmonary tuberculosis, and nine with congestive heart failure) and 33 patients with malignant pleural effusions. We selected 105 mg/L as the most suitable cutoff concentration of fibronectin for distinguishing between the two groups. We found high concentrations of fibronectin in 21 of the 33 patients with...

BACKGROUND Standard treatment for pleural infection includes catheter drainage and antibiotics. Tube drainage often fails if the fluid is loculated by fibrinous adhesions when surgical drainage is needed. Streptokinase may aid the process of pleural drainage, but there have been no controlled trials to assess its efficacy. METHODS Twenty four patients with infected community acquired parapneu...

BACKGROUND Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is useful in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE). This study aims to determine the factors affecting pleural fluid ADA levels and to establish the optimal ADA levels for diagnosis of TPE for different age groups. METHODS This was a retrospective study from January 2007 to October 2011. One hundred and sixty patients who had pleural fluid AD...

The purpose of this present study was to differentiate transudates and exudates in pleural effusions. Oxidative stress has been associated with various respiratory disorders. Ninety patients of pleural effusions of diverse etiologies were participated in this study. Subjects underwent diagnostic thoracentesis and standard biochemical parameters (total protein, lactate dehydrogenase, glucose, MD...

Integrated whole-body 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) is a non-invasive imaging technique for identifying several types of malignant diseases. We evaluated the role of PET/CT in distinguishing malignant from benign pleural diseases. Thirty patients, who had pleural abnormalities on computed tomography (CT), such as thickening, fluid with suspicion...

BACKGROUND Standard treatment for pleural infection includes catheter drainage and antibiotics. Tube drainage often fails if the fluid is loculated by fibrinous adhesions when surgical drainage is needed. Streptokinase may aid the process of pleural drainage, but there have been no controlled trials to assess its efficacy. METHODS Twenty four patients with infected community acquired parapneu...