Exudative Pleural Effusion: Sensitivity and Specificity

Introduction: None written.

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Differential Diagnoses include: Transudative Pleural Effusion

The sensitivity and specificity of findings for Exudative Pleural Effusion are listed below. See the left navigation bar to change the display.

Sensitive Findings

Light's Criteria

98.3%

76.1%

Light's Criteria: any one of the following

1) pleural protein / serum protein > 0.5

2) pleural LDH / serum LDH > 0.6

3) pleural LDH > 2/3 * upper limit of normal serum LDH

Differential Diagnosis: Transudative Pleural Effusion

Study: Chest. 1999 Dec;116(6):1833-6. PMID: 10593819

Abbreviated Light's Criteria

96.1%

78.8%

any one of the following:

1) pleural protein / serum protein > 0.5

2) pleural LDH / serum LDH > 0.6

(i.e. dropping the pleural LDH vs upper limit of normal serum LDH)

Differential Diagnosis: Transudative Pleural Effusion

Study: Chest. 1999 Dec;116(6):1833-6. PMID: 10593819

Poorly Diagnostic Findings

Chest CT

59%

64%

in parapneumonic effusions (i.e. associated with Pneumonia). The numbers here are for pleural thickening, but similarly poor performance is seen for loculation, pleural enhancement, etc.

Differential Diagnosis: Transudative Pleural Effusion

Study: AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2009 Mar;192(3):618-23. PMID: 19234255

AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1997 Jul;169(1):179-82. PMID: 9207521