Table 2.
Fluids classified into exudates and transudates using clinical diagnosis and by analysis of fluid and serum total protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and cholesterol
| Clinical diagnosis | N | Fluid total protein | Fluid cholesterol | Fluid LDH | Fluid: serum total protein | Fluid LDH + fluid:serum total protein | Light's criteria | ||||||
| TP | FN | TP | FN | TP | FN | TP | FN | TP | FN | TP | FN | ||
| Exudates total | 30 | 25 | 5 | 26 | 4 | 27 | 3 | 27 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| Malignancy | 22 | 19 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 20 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 19 | 3 |
| Infection | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Other* | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| TN | FP | TN | FP | TN | FP | TN | FP | TN | FP | TN | FP | ||
| Transudates total† | 24 | 18 | 6 | 16 | 8 | 19 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 17 | 7 | 16 | 8 |
| CCF | 13 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Cirrhosis | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Renal failure | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Hypoalbuminaemia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
*One case of systemic lupus erythematosus, one case of pelvic abscess, and one case of reactive pleural thickening; †includes two patients with both CCF and chronic renal failure and one with both CCF and hypoalbuminaemia.
CCF, congestive cardiac failure; FN, false negative; FP, false positive; TN, true negative; TP, true positive.