Pleural Fluid Cholesterol Research Articles

The clinical utility of pleural fluid cholesterol as a parameter in differentiating exudative from transudative pleural effusion when compared to light’s criteria

The clinical utility of pleural fluid cholesterol as a parameter in differentiating exudative from transudative pleural effusion when compared to light’s criteria

Diagnostic Value of Pleural Fluid Cholesterol versus Pleural Fluid Protein / Serum Protein Ratio to Differentiate Exudative from Transudative Pleural Effusion

Diagnostic Value of Pleural Fluid Cholesterol versus Pleural Fluid Protein / Serum Protein Ratio to Differentiate Exudative from Transudative Pleural Effusion

ROLE OF COMBINED PLEURAL FLUID CHOLESTEROL AND TOTAL PROTEIN FOR DIFFERENTIATING EXUDATIVE FROM TRANSUDATIVE PLEURAL EFFUSION IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE-AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Introduction:Identifying whether the pleural effusion is exudative or transudative is the first step in making a diagnosis.Lights criteria, have been accepted more widely than any other criteria for discriminating between transudative and exudative effusions.But incorrectly labels 15–20% of transudative effusions as exudates. We investigate if comparable results may be obtained using pleural fluid cholesterol and pleural fluid total protein. Objectives:To compare combined pleural fluid cholesterol and pleural fluid total protein with Light’s criteria in differentiating exudative and transudative effusion and find its significance. Methods:This is a hospital based cross sectional study conducted in the Department of Respiratory medicine, GMC, Kannur over a period of one year on 120 patients who presented with pleural effusion,and fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pleural fluid sample obtained from each patient was taken for analysis,and nature of effusion by using Light’s criteria and combined pleural fluid cholesterol+total protein was noted. The final diagnosis based on clinical diagnosis along with HPR and/or culture was set as the gold standard. Mc Nemar’s Chi-square test was applied to compare Light’s criteria and Pleural fluid cholesterol+total protein with gold standard.The diagnostic parameters like sensitivity, specificity, PVP, PVN and accuracy of Light’s criteria and pleural fluid cholesterol+ total protein to predict exudates were estimated. Results: We found out that there is significant difference in the classification of transudate and exudate by Light’s criteria with respect to gold standard (p-value 0.001). Kappa value 0.722 shows a significant substantial agreement between Light’s criteria and gold standard test (p-value <0.001). The sensitivity ,specificity, PVP,PVN and accuracy of Light’s criteria to predict exudate was 100.00%,63.33%, 89.11%,100.00%, and 90.83% respectively. Also, there is significant difference in the classification of transudate and exudate by Pleural fluid cholesterol+total protein with respect to gold standard (p-value 0.031). Kappa value 0.875 shows a significantly almost perfect agreement between pleural fluid Cholesterol+Total protein and gold standard test (p-value <0.001).The sensitivity, specificity, PVP,PVN and accuracy of Pleural fluid Cholesterol+Total protein to predict exudate was 93.33%, 100.00%, 100.00%,83.33%, and 95.00% respectively. Conclusion: As compared to Light’s criteria, Pleural fluid cholesterol+total protein shows a high agreement with gold standard to distinguish exudative and transudative effusion and can be used as an alternative to Light’s criteria.

Diagnostic value of pleural cholesterol in differentiating exudative and transudative pleural effusion

BackgroundPleural effusions are most commonly classified as transudative or exudative based on Light's criteria which has shown misclassification in 10%–20% of cases. Studies have demonstrated lesser misclassification with pleural fluid cholesterol criteria. Thus, this study aimed to find the diagnostic properties of pleural fluid cholesterol in differentiating the type of effusion. Materials and methodsThis cross-sectional study involving 72 patients was undertaken in a tertiary center in Nepal for a duration of 2 years. On the basis of Light's, Heffner's, etiological, and pleural fluid cholesterol criteria, pleural effusion was classified as exudative or transudative. The findings were then evaluated to determine the diagnostic value of each approach in identifying the effusion type and comparing them on the basis of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value. ResultPleural fluid cholesterol detected effusion as exudative with sensitivity of 91.94% and specificity of 80.00% against Light's criteria; with a sensitivity of 98.28% and specificity of 85.71% against the etiological diagnosis. Additionally, against the etiological diagnosis, sensitivity of both Light's and Heffner's criteria was 100%; however, specificity was 71.43% and 64.29% respectively, which is far less than that of pleural fluid cholesterol (85.71%). Furthermore, pleural fluid cholesterol was also found to have better results than protein ratio, LDH ratio and pleural fluid protein ratio in determining the type of effusion. ConclusionWhen considering the avoidance of confusing outcomes in equivocal instances and cost effectiveness in developing nations, pleural fluid cholesterol can be one of the most useful alternative diagnostic methods for differentiating between exudative or transudative effusions.

Combined Pleural Fluid Cholesterol and Total Protein in Differentiation of Exudates and Transudates

The management strategy to be adopted in pleural effusion depends on whether an effusion is a transudate or exudate. To evaluate the usefulness of pleural fluid cholesterol and/or total protein measurements for differentiating between exudates and transudates, and to compare it with Light's criteria. In this prospective study 60 patients with pleural effusion were included. Pleural fluid total protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cholesterol as well as serum total protein and LDH levels along with other investigations were studied. Clinical classification of transudate or exudate was done on the basis of aetiology. Based on clinical signs and symptoms, chest radiograph, other investigations and response to treatment, 49 of these effusions were classified as exudates and 11 as transudates. Using pleural fluid cholesterol levels at a cut-off point of greater than 60 mg/dL and/or total protein at a cut-off point of greater than 3 g/dL for distinguishing transudates and exudates, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV), were 100 percent. Using Light's criteria for discriminating transudates and exudates, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were found to be 98%; 100%; 100% and 92%, respectively. The differences resulted from a mis-classification of one expected exudate as transudate by Light's criteria. Pleural fluid cholesterol and total protein are simple, cost-effective, and useful parameters in distinguishing pleural transudates from exudates, with the advantage of requiring only two laboratory determinations and no simultaneous blood sample, compared to the use of Light's criteria.

Role of pleural fluid cholesterol level in discrimination of transudates and exudates

Amaç: Plevral sıvıların tanısında, transüda (T)–eksüda (E) ayrımının yapılması önemlidir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Light kriterleri ile plevral sıvı kolesterol düzeyini içeren tekli, ikili ve üçlü testlerin, T-E ayırımındaki duyarlılık ve özgüllüğünü belirlemektir.
 Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya plevral sıvı nedeniyle başvuran 145 hasta dâhil edildi. Plevral sıvı kolesterol düzeyi (PSKD) ≥45 mg/dL (tekli test); PSKD ≥45 mg/dL veya plevral sıvı LDH düzeyi >kan normal LDH’sının %45 (ikili test); plevral sıvı protein >2,9 g/dL, PSKD ≥45 mg/dL, plevral sıvı LDH düzeyi >kan normal LDH’sının %45 (üçlü test) olarak tanımlandı. Kesin tanıya uygun beklenen plevral sıvı tipi altın standart olarak değerlendirmeye alındı.
 Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan 139 hastada, kesin tanıya uygun beklenen plevral sıvı tipi olguların %81’inde eksüda; %19’unda transüda olarak belirlendi. Eksüdatif plevral sıvıyı saptamada, tekli testin kesin tanıya uygun beklenen plevral sıvı tipi ile karşılaştırılmasında iki grup arasında sınırda anlamlılık saptandı (p=0.05). İkili ve üçlü test değerlendirmelerinde ise iki grup arasında istatistiki anlamlı fark saptandı (p

A study to assess the cholesterol levels in pleural fluid and its role in differentiate between exudative and transudate pleural effusion

The pathophysiology of the transudate pleural effusion occurs when the systemic factors are involved in the formation and absorption of plural effusion, where the source of pleural fluid is originating from Lung, Peritoneal or Pleural Cavity. The origin of exudative pleural fluid effusion is when capillaries or the pleural surfaces where the fluid originates gets altered. Hence when we the pleural fluid is found to be transudate further diagnostic evaluation is not required and treat the systemic disease affecting it and if the fluid is exudate we need to investigate further to find out the cause of effusion. To assess the role of pleural fluid cholesterol in differentiating exudative and transudative pleural effusion. : The present cross sectional study was conducted by the Department of Chest and Respiratory Medicine at Chamarajanagara Institute of Medical Sciences from March 2019 to December 2019. A total of 100 cases of clinically confirmed cases of pleural effusion cases were selected for the purpose of the study. Based on the Light’s Criteria the Pleural Fluid was analyzed and 94% of them were classified as exudates and 6% of them to be transudates and Pleural fluid cholesterol of more than 45mg/dl 74% of them were exudates and 26% of them were transudates. In the present study based on final diagnosis out of 74 subjects who were classified as exudates, 72 subjects were classified as exudates and misclassified 2 cases as transudate. Lights Criteria diagnosed only 4 cases as transudate pleural fluid among the 26 cases of transudate pleural fluid based on final diagnosis Light‘s criteria is the most accepted criteria for differentiating between exudates and transudate in pleural effusion. By the Present study we could conclude that the estimation of Pleural Cholesterol Level has good sensitivity, Positive Predictive Value than lights criteria in diagnosing exudative and transudate Pleural Fluid.

Pleural Fluid Cholesterol: A Promising Marker to Differentiate Transudates and Exudates

Pleural Fluid Cholesterol: A Promising Marker to Differentiate Transudates and Exudates

Accurate and Rapid Diagnosis of Exudative Pleural Effusion.

Background: Accurate diagnosis of exudate pleural effusion is definitely important. Few studies have been published on this topic. The current work present evidence for the importance of the pleural fluid markers like high sensitivity-C reactive protein [hsCRP]; tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNFα]; and cholesterol levels measurement in differentiating types of exudative from transudative pleural effusion. Aim: The current study was to determine and evaluate the diagnostic importance of measured levels of pleural fluid cholesterol, high sensitivity-CRP and tumor necrosis factorα in diagnosing and differentiating transudate from exudate pleural effusion. Methods: This study was carried out on 100 patients suffering from pleural effusion who subjected to diagnostic evaluation at Al Sahel Teaching Hospital. The full biochemical analysis of the pleural fluid, pleural fluid culture, and cytology examination were also performed. TNFα, hs CRP, and cholesterol level were assessed in the samples of pleural fluid. Results: One hundred patients were initially evaluated, in accordance to Light's criteria, of 100 patients suffering from pleural effusion, 67 had exudative effusions while 33 patients had transudative pleural effusion. The concentrations of pleural fluid hs CRP and TNFα, found to be significantly elevated in the exudative nature group of pleural fluid than the transudative pleural effusion group (p < 0.05). Also, pleural fluid cholesterol level was elevated in the exudative pleural effusion than transudative pleural effusion (P< 0.001). Conclusion: Patients presented with pleural effusion, simple markers of elevated pleural fluid hsCRP, TNFα, and cholesterol levels may be helpful in discrimination between exudates and transudates effusion.

Differentiating transudative and exudative pleural effusion by pleural fluid cholesterol

Pleural effusion is one of the common condition encountered in day to day practise. A correct diagnosis of the underlying disease is essential to rational management. Today there are a number of laboratory tests available to differentiate exudates and transudates which are considered cost effective to the patients, so this study was designed for the measurement of pleural fluid cholesterol to differentiate transudative and exudative pleural effusions (sensitivity-97.8%, specificity-100%) with the advantage that a contemporary blood sample is not required, thereby lowering cost of diagnostic procedure. To study the diagnostic value of Pleural fluid Cholesterol in differentiating transudative and exudative pleural effusions. This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted on patients of pleural effusion (n=60) age &amp;#62;18 years patients with definitive clinical diagnosis and evidenced by radiological diagnosis of pleural effusion were taken as inclusion criteria. The results showed majority of the patients were males (63.3%) and females (36.7%). According to lights criteria 46 patients were exudates and 14 patients were transudates and according to Pleural fluid Cholesterol criteria 45 patients were exudates and 15 patients were transudates with sensitivity of 97.8% and specificity of 100% and accuracy of 98.3%. The pleural fluid cholesterol criteria were found to be the most efficient criteria. Since this parameter involves the measurement of only pleural fluid values of cholesterol, it has following advantages-Economically it reduces number of biochemical tests and Simpler as there is no need to take simultaneous blood sample at the time of thoracocentesis.

Accuracy of Uric Acid and Cholesterol Levels Examination in Distinguishing Pleural Effusion Fluid Exudates and Transudates

Background: Light's criteria was reported 25% of misclassification transudates as exu­dates. This study aimed to analyse the accuracy of examining uric acid levels and pleural fluid uric acid levels, and pleural fluid cholesterol and cholesterol ratios to distinguish the exudates and transudates in pleural effusions. Subjects and Method: This was a cross-sectional study de­sign conducted at Dr. Moe­wardi Hospital, Surakarta, Central Java, from July to August 2019. The study subjects were 30 pleural effusion patients treated in the pul­monology ward. The dependent variables were pleural fluid exudates and transudates. The indepen­dent variables were (1) Uric acid levels in pleu­ral fluid; (2) The ratio of uric acid levels be­tween pleural fluid and serum; (3) Pleural fluid cholesterol levels; and (4) The ratio of cho­lesterol levels between pleural fluid and serum. The study instruments were Light's cri­teria and laboratory examination. The diag­nosis's accuracy was analysed using sensi­tivi­ty, specificity, and the area under the ROC (AUC) curve. Results: Pleural fluid cholesterol showed sen­­sitivity and specificity of 86% and 83%, with a cut-off of 32.00 for transudate results. AUC value = 0.82 with p = 0.012. Serum cholesterol showed sensitivity and specificity of 71% and 61%, with a cut-off of 175.50 for transudate re­sults. AUC value = 0.67 with p = 0.194. Pleu­ral fluid uric acid levels showed a sensitivity and specificity of 86% and 87%, with a cut-off of 7.25 for transudate results. AUC value = 0.83 with p = 0.009. Examination of serum uric acid levels showed a sensitivity and specificity of 86% and 70%, with a cut-off of 7.10 for trans­udate results. AUC value = 0.65 with p = 0.249. Conclusion: Examination of uric acid and pleural fluid cholesterol levels can be used in routine pleural effusion examinations to distin­guish exudates and transudates. Keyword s : accuracy, uric acid, exudates, cho­les­te­rol, transudates Correspondence: Yusup Subagio Sutanto. Department of Pul­mo­no­logy and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Sebelas Maret, Dr. Moe­wardi Hospital, Surakarta. Jl. Kolonel Sutarto 132, Jebres, Surakarta 57126, Central Java. Email: dr_yusupsubagio­@yahoo.com. Mobile: +62811284165. Indonesian Journal of Medicine (2021), 06(02): 159-167 https://doi.org/10.26911/theijmed.2021.06.02.05

Comparative analysis of pleural fluid cholesterol levels against Light’s criteria in differentiating exudative and transudative pleural effusions

Comparative analysis of pleural fluid cholesterol levels against Light’s criteria in differentiating exudative and transudative pleural effusions

Comparative analysis of pleural fluid cholesterol levels against light’s criteria in differentiating exudative and transudative pleural effusions

Comparative analysis of pleural fluid cholesterol levels against light’s criteria in differentiating exudative and transudative pleural effusions

Distinguishing Exudative from Transudative Effusion by Using Pleural Fluid Cholesterol and Bilirubin in Comparative Study to Light’s Criteria

Background: Pleural effusions are often classified into exudates and transudates based on certain biochemicalparameters which include protein; lactate dehydrogenase (Light’s criteria); cholesterol and bilirubin, so theaim of the study is to evaluate the importance of pleural fluid cholesterol and bilirubin in differentiatingexudative from transudate pleural effusion.Method: Fifty patients with pleural effusion were evaluated for pleural fluid protein, lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), cholesterol and bilirubin and compared simultaneously with drawn blood sample for protein, LDHand bilirubin.Results: In this study cholesterol in pleural fluid has a 94%, 100% sensitivity and specificity respectively andbilirubin ratio (pleural fluid bilirubin/serum bilirubin) has a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 85% whilethe parameters of Light’s criteria i.e. protein ratio (fluid protein/serum protein) has 88%, 85% sensitivity andspecificity respectively and LDH ratio (fluid LDH/serum LDH) has a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of71%.Conclusion: Pleural fluid cholesterol and bilirubin ratio have a better sensitivity and specificity indifferentiating exudative from transudative pleural effusion than the parameters of Light’s measures.

Pleural Fluid Cholesterol Level in Differentiating Exudate from Trasudate Pleural Effusion

Correlation of pleural fluid cholesterol level with light’s criteria to differentiate exudate from transudate pleural effusion. Classification of transudate and exudate clinically was done independently based on the light's criteria. Pleural fluid cholesterol levels of 100 selected patients were obtained. The cholesterol levels were compared with the earlier obtained data to study its specificity and sensitivity in differentiating exudate from transudate effusion. It was found that pleural fluid cholesterol in comparison to protein values in differentiating exudate from transudate showed a sensitivity of 79.55%, specificity of 91.07%, the positive predictive value of 87.50%, the negative predictive value of 85.00%, with a P-value of &lt;0.001. Comparison of pleural fluid cholesterol with LDH values showed a sensitivity of 86.36% specificity of 94.64%, the positive predictive value of 92.68%, the negative predictive value of 89.83%, with a P-value of &lt;0.001. Also, a comparison of pleural fluid cholesterol to light's criteria showed a sensitivity of 100% and 86.4% in the transudative group and sensitivity of 100% and 91.1 % in the exudative group, respectively. Routine measurement of pleural fluid cholesterol may serve as a valuable diagnostic indicator for differentiating exudate from transudate effusion.

Role of Combined Pleural Fluid Cholesterol and Total Protein in Differentiation of Exudates and Transudates

Introduction: Light's criteria had been the standard method for distinguishing exudative and transudative pleural effusions which misidentify 15-20% of transudates as exudates. This study aims to find out the role of combined pleural fluid cholesterol and total protein in distinguishing exudative from transudative pleural effusions and its applicability in Nepalese populations.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: Patients with pleural effusions were enrolled for the study. The combined pleural fluid cholesterol and total protein were compared with Light’s criteria and also compared with the diagnosis on discharge to find out their usefulness in categorizing the pleural effusions.&#x0D; Results: A total of 81 patients enrolled in the study, 42 (51.9%) were male. Based on Light’s criteria, 88.8% pleural effusions were found to be exudates and 11.1% were found to be transudates. Within the criteria, Light’s criteria categorized more pleural fluids as exudates than the diagnosis on discharge. Based on pleural fluid cholesterol &gt;60mg/dL and protein &gt;3g/dL for the classification of exudative and transudative pleural fluid, 62.9% out of 81 samples felled under the exudates and 37.03% pleural effusions under transudates with the sensitivity 87.9% and specificity 100%.&#x0D; Conclusions: Though Light’s criteria remain the gold standard to differentiate transudates and exudates, combined pleural fluid cholesterol and total protein give nearly comparable results without the need for simultaneous blood investigations.

Simplified Criteria Using Pleural Fluid Cholesterol and Lactate Dehydrogenase to Distinguish between Exudative and Transudative Pleural Effusions

Background: An important part of the investigation of pleural effusion is the identification of markers that help separate exudate from transudate. Objectives: The purposes of this study were to compare the accuracy of published and new sets of criteria to distinguish between exudative and transudative pleural effusions, and to determine whether serum biochemical analysis is necessary. Methods: An externally validated cohort study was performed. Pleural effusions were determined to be transudative or exudative on the basis of an assessment of the medical record by two clinicians blinded to biochemical results. Sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were determined for each proposed combination of criteria. Results: Pleural fluid analysis was available for 311 thoracenteses in the main cohort and for 112 thoracenteses in the validation cohort. The best sensitivity (97% [95% CI 94–99]) and negative likelihood ratio (0.04 [95% CI 0.02–0.08]) for identifying exudative effusions were observed with criteria combining pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase greater than 0.6 the upper limit of normal serum lactate dehydrogenase and pleural fluid cholesterol greater than 1.04 mmol/L (40 mg/dL). The overall diagnostic accuracy was similar to Light’s criteria. Findings were similar in the validation cohort. Conclusions: Our proposed criteria using simultaneously pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase and pleural fluid cholesterol can identify an exudate with a sensitivity and an overall diagnostic accuracy similar to Light’s criteria. It avoids simultaneous blood sampling, thus reducing patient discomfort and potential costs.

Study of cholesterol activity in pleural effusion

Background: Pleural effusions are collections of fluid in pleural cavities and areactually manifestations of diverse diseases both infective and non infective and alsocardio-pulmonary in origin or extra-pulmonary. Based on the pathology of formationthe fluid can be either transudate or exudate. The most commonly accepted criteriaof differentiation is the Light’s criteria published by Richard Light in 1972 wherepleural fluid protein and lactate dehydrogenase enzyme were estimated along withtheir respective level in serum and necessary calculation were done. In1987 Hammet.al suggested that estimation of pleural fluid cholesterol too reliably can differentiateas the cholesterol level increases in infective and malignancy like pleural fluid proteinand it is low in transudates. The present study was done to estimate pleural fluidcholesterol in infective, malignant and other non infective cases in our setup and tostudy its accuracy in differentiation.Aims & objective: to study pleural fluid cholesterol level and to study its accuracyin differentiation of exudates verses transudates and to study correlation of pleuralfluid cholesterol with serum cholesterol and pleural fluid proteinMethodology: There were 100 cases of pleural effusions and 75 were due to infectiveand malignant cases and rest were transudative. Fluids were aspirated and analysedaccordingly. Pleural fluid protein and pleural fluid cholesterol both were estimatedalong with their levels in serum. American society of clinical pathologist laid downvalue of pleural fluid cholesterol54mg/dl & ratio of pleural fluid cholesterol/serumchlosterol0.3 as exudates. Further correlation in between cholesterol and protein levelin pleural fluid were studied and also serum cholesterol and pleural fluid cholesterol.Results achieved were analysed statistically. A P0.05 was considered as statisticallysignificant.Results & observation: With a cut of value of pleural fluid cholesterol 54mg/dlall malignant and parapneumonic cases were classified as exudates. Among the 57tubercular cases 52 cases were classified as exudate and among the 25 transudate cases24 are successfully dedifferentiated. So the misclassification rate is 6% with accuracyof 94%; the sensitivity achieved is 98.5% & specificity82.7%. When the ratio of pleuralfluid cholesterol/serum cholesterol is used as the differentiating marker misclassifiedrate is 5% & accuracy 95%.The sensitivity is 98.6% & specificity 85.7%. The study ofcorrelation reveals that there is a strong positive correlation in between pleural fluidprotein and pleural fluid cholesterol in both exudate and transudate and the resultbeing statistically significant (P0.05).Discussion: In this study pleural fluid cholesterol level and its ratio with serumcholesterol were used as differentiating parameter for classifying exudate and transudatein 100 cases of pleural effusion in our setup and compared with studies of Lightet.al and Hamm et.al . We got similar accuracy of differentiation like the pioneer studyin separation of serous fluid i.e. Light’s criteria. The study of correlation also signifiesthat in infective causes and malignancy pleural cholesterol increases as pleural fluidprotein and decreases in transudate and this is statistically significant.Conclusion: To overcome few fallacies of Light’s criteria there was a search for newparameters in pleural fluid for better differentiation and cholesterol was used in thisregard. In our study pleural fluid cholesterol and its ratio with serum cholesterol canreliably be used as differentiating parameter and in our results the misclassificationrate was 5% with accuracy of 95%

Differentiating transudative and exudative pleural effusion by pleural fluid cholesterol

Background: Pleural effusion is one of the common condition encountered in day to day practise. Pleural effusions represent a very common diagnostic task to the physician. A correct diagnosis of the underlying disease is essential to rational management. Today there are a number of laboratory tests available to differentiate exudates and transudates which are considered cost effective to the patients, so this study was designed for the measurement of pleural fluid cholesterol to differentiate transudative and exudative pleural effusions (sensitivity-97.8%, specificity-100%) with the advantage that a contemporary blood sample is not required, thereby lowering cost of diagnostic procedure. Objectives: To study the diagnostic value of Pleural fluid Cholesterol in differentiating transudative and exudative pleural effusions. Methodology: This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted on patients of pleural effusion (n=60)age &gt;18 years patients with definitive clinical diagnosis and evidenced by radiological diagnosis of pleural effusion were taken as inclusion criteria. Results: The results showed majority of the patients were males (63.3%) and females (36.7%). According to lights criteria 46 patients were exudates and 14 patients were transudates and according to Pleural fluid Cholesterol criteria 45 patients were exudates and 15 patients were transudates with sensitivity of 97.8% and specificity of 100% and accuracy of 98.3%. Conclusion: The pleural fluid cholesterol criteria were found to be the most efficient criteria. Since this parameter involves the measurement of only pleural fluid values of cholesterol, it has following advantages-Economically it reduces number of biochemical tests and Simpler as there is no need to take simultaneous blood sample at the time of thoracocentesis.

A Prospective Observational Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital to Evaluate the Utility of Pleural Fluid Cholesterol and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) in Differentiating Exudative from Transudative Pleural Effusions

A Prospective Observational Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital to Evaluate the Utility of Pleural Fluid Cholesterol and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) in Differentiating Exudative from Transudative Pleural Effusions