Advanced laboratory testings for tuberculous pleural effusions / 中国现代医生

ABSTRACT

Tuberculous pleurity(TP)is the most important cause for exudative pleural effusions. Microbiological anal-yses of pleural fluid maybe negative in the most setting. Techniques, such as pleural biopsy or thoracoscopy are clini-cally limited by its invasion. Ongoing research has led to implementing a number of additional fluid analyses that may lead to a diagnosis without a need for further invasive procedures. In this review, we discuss the characteristics of TPE that may assist in this important diagnosis, and we highlight the benefits of specific biomarker analyses including adenosine deaminase, interferon and some novel tests.