title: [Pleural effusion: criteria for distinguishing between transudates and exudates].
abstract: The first step in the diagnostic study of a pleural effusion is to classify as a transudate or exudate. Light's criteria (pleural fluid/serum proteines > 0.5; lactatedehydrogenase [LDH] > 2/3 of the upper normal limit in serum; pleural fluid/serum LDH > 0.6) usually used, incorrectly classify some cases, especially transudates. For this reason, different alternative criteria has been proposed: pleural fluid cholesterol, pleural fluid/serum cholesterol ratio, pleural fluid/serum bilirubin ratio, and serum/pleura albumin ratio. Althought the first results suggested better results that those obtained with the Light's criteria, after the analysis of the different studys we conclude that a method to diferentiate perfectly transudates and exudates is not yet available.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Vega Baja, Orihuela.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia Pachon
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Padilla Navas
mesh_terms: D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005122:Exudates and Transudates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol
vernacular_title: Derrame pleural: criterios para diferenciar trasudados y exudados.