Exudative Pleural Effusion: Likelihood Ratios

Introduction: None written.

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Differential Diagnoses include: Transudative Pleural Effusion

The likelihood ratios of findings for Exudative Pleural Effusion are listed below. See the left navigation bar to change the display.

Good Positive and Negative Likelihood Ratios

Abbreviated Light's Criteria

4.5

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

Light's Criteria

4.1

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

Poorly Diagnostic Findings

Chest CT

1.6

0.6

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