title: Elevated ascitic fluid fibronectin concentration. A non-specific finding.
abstract: Ascitic fluid fibronectin concentration was measured in 111 specimens by laser nephelometry. Sterile, portal hypertension-related fluid fibronectin concentration (24 +/- 14 micrograms/ml) was significantly lower than the concentration in infected, portal hypertension-related ascites (49 +/- 44 micrograms/ml, P less than 0.001), peritoneal carcinomatosis (123 +/- 45 micrograms/ml, P less than 0.001), massive liver metastases-related ascites (55 +/- 21 micrograms/ml, P less than 0.001), as well as in ascites of other types (94 +/- 42 micrograms/ml, P less than 0.001). The percentage of samples with fibronectin concentration, greater than 75 micrograms/ml, was 0% for sterile, portal hypertension-related ascites, 28% for infected, portal hypertension-related ascites, 89% for peritoneal carcinomatosis, 20% for massive liver metastases-related ascites, and 72% for ascites of other types. Ascitic fluid fibronectin concentration correlated in a linear fashion with ascitic fluid total protein (r = 0.81, P less than 0.001). Fibronectin concentration in ascites appears to be elevated under a variety of conditions and does not appear to be a specific marker for cancer.
mesh_terms: D001201:Ascites / Q000209:etiology*; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000032:analysis*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D005353:Fibronectins; D011506:Proteins