Interpreting pleural fluid results

Rachel M Mercer; John P Corcoran; Jose M Porcel; Najib M Rahman; Ioannis Psallidas

doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.19-3-213

Interpreting pleural fluid results

Clin Med (Lond). 2019 May;19(3):213-217. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.19-3-213.

Authors

Rachel M Mercer¹, John P Corcoran², Jose M Porcel³, Najib M Rahman⁴, Ioannis Psallidas⁴

Affiliations

¹ University of Oxford, Oxford, UK and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK rachel.mercer@nhs.net.
² University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Plymouth, UK.
³ Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, Lleida, Spain.
⁴ University of Oxford, Oxford, UK and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK.

Abstract

Interpreting pleural fluid results correctly requires an awareness of the possible aetiologies of a pleural effusion and an understanding of the reliability of the outcome of each investigation. All results must be interpreted within each different clinical context and knowledge of the pitfalls for each test is necessary when the diagnosis is unclear. This review aims to discuss the common aetiologies of a pleural effusion and some of the pitfalls in interpretation that can occur when the diagnosis is unclear.

Keywords: Pleural effusion; biomarkers; malignant pleural effusion; pleural infection.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Biomarkers / analysis
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
Pleural Diseases / diagnosis*
Pleural Diseases / pathology
Pleural Effusion / diagnosis*
Pleural Effusion / pathology

Substances

Biomarkers