Clinical utility of body fluid analyses: an overview

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine
• Biochemical Analysis

Background:

• Body cavity fluid analysis is essential for diagnosing various medical conditions.
• Established laboratory procedures exist for major body fluid sites.
• Emerging diagnostic needs necessitate evaluation of novel testing methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and assess novel laboratory procedures for analyzing body cavity fluids.
• To evaluate tests for both minor (e.g., amniotic fluid, saliva) and major (e.g., cerebrospinal fluid) fluid sites.
• To determine the clinical utility of new diagnostic assays.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of recent professional publications.
• Survey of existing scientific and clinical data.
• Assessment of diagnostic information provided by new tests.

Main Results:

• Normal values for major body fluids are presented.
• Abnormalities in body fluids are linked to inflammation, infection, and neoplasms.
• Newer amniotic fluid tests for fetal lung maturity and ancillary tests for synovial, saliva, and cerebrospinal fluids in metabolic disorders show potential.

Conclusions:

• Clinical laboratories need demonstrable value before adopting new fluid tests.
• New tests must prove to be more cost-effective, informative, and safer than existing methods.
• Evidence-based validation is required for widespread clinical use of novel diagnostic assays.