title: The Light criteria: the beginning and why they are useful 40 years later.
abstract: The Light criteria serve as a good starting point in the separation of transudates from exudates. The Light criteria misclassify about 25% of transudates as exudates, and most of these patients are on diuretics. If a patient is thought likely to have a disease that produces a transudative pleural effusion but the Light criteria suggest an exudate by only a small margin, the serum-pleural fluid protein gradient should be examined.
authors: Division of Allergy/Pulmonary/Critical Care, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University, 1161 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. Rlight98@yahoo.com
authors: Richard W
authors: RW
authors: Light
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019937:Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures / Q000639:trends*; D005122:Exudates and Transudates / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis*