title: Evaluation of different laboratory methods for rapid diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy.
abstract: Tuberculous pleurisy is a diagnostic challenge due to its nonspecific clinical presentation, paucibacillary nature of the effusion together with the inefficiency of conventional laboratory methods motivating the evaluation of variable diagnostic strategies.
  
  
  
  Using thoracoscopy, the pleural cavity of 50 patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion were fully examined and biopsy specimens of affected parietal pleura were taken under direct vision. Pleural fluid and biopsy specimen were subjected to microscopic examination (direct and after cytocentrifugation), culture, PCR, and histopathological examination.
  
  
  
  The pleural biopsy specimens proved to have a higher detection rate of tubercle bacilli than pleural fluid. Also, cytocentrifugation improved the sensitivity of microscopic detection for both pleural fluid and biopsy specimens.
  
  
  
  The combination of microbiological results and histopathology examination of the pleural biopsy specimens is essential for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy, as microbiological examination of pleural biopsy specimens has proved to have a higher detection rate than pleural fluid examination.
authors.affiliation: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: Safaa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amer
authors.affiliation: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: Azza El
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hefnawy
authors.affiliation: Chest Disease Department, Faculty of Medicine Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nashwa Abdel
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Wahab
authors.affiliation: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. Electronic address: hadir.okasha@alexmed.edu.eg.
authors.forename: Hadir
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okasha
authors.affiliation: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: Amira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D001706:Biopsy; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013906:Thoracoscopy; D013997:Time Factors; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Biopsy; Mycobacterium; Nonspecific pleurisy; Pleural tuberculosis; Thoracoscopy; Tuberculosis