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Pleural effusion: laboratory tests in 300 cases.

A Hirsch, P Ruffie, M Nebut

|February 1, 1979

Summary

Cancer, tuberculosis, and bacterial infections are the leading causes of pleural effusion in patients. Diagnostic investigations are crucial for identifying the underlying cause and guiding treatment strategies for this common respiratory condition.

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Area of Science:

Pulmonology
Oncology
Infectious Diseases

Background:

Pleural effusion is a common clinical condition with diverse etiologies.
Accurate diagnosis is essential for effective patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the etiological spectrum of pleural effusion in a cohort of patients.
To evaluate the diagnostic utility of various clinical and laboratory investigations.

Main Methods:

Retrospective analysis of 300 consecutive patients with pleural effusion.
Clinical examination, laboratory tests, pleural fluid cytology, and pleural biopsy procedures were employed.
Microbiological cultures were performed for suspected infectious causes.

Main Results:

The most frequent causes identified were cancer (117 cases), tuberculous infection (53 cases), and bacterial infection (38 cases).
Cancer was diagnosed via cytology (63) and biopsy (37+11).
Tuberculosis was diagnosed by culture (12) and biopsy (38+3).
Bacterial infections (empyema) involved various identified microorganisms.

Conclusions:

Malignancy, tuberculosis, and bacterial infections represent the predominant causes of pleural effusion.
Diagnostic procedures including pleural fluid analysis and biopsies are vital for etiological determination.
A significant proportion of cases remained undiagnosed despite investigations.

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