Table of Contents 
ISRN Pulmonology
Volume 2011, Article ID 716486, 6 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.5402/2011/716486
Research Article

Pleural Fluid Soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells-1 in Complicated and Uncomplicated Parapneumonic Pleural Effusions

Adel Salah Bediwy,1 Mohamed Gamal A. Elkholy,1 Mohamed Mohamed Elbedewy,2 and Mohamed A. Hasanein3

1Chest Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 33633, Egypt
2Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 33633, Egypt
3Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 33633, Egypt

Received 12 July 2011; Accepted 4 August 2011

Academic Editor: M. L. Metersky

Copyright © 2011 Adel Salah Bediwy et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Background. Soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeoid cells-1 (sTREM-1) has recently been found to be high in infected pleural fluid (PF). Objectives. Diagnostic accuracy of PF sTREM-1 for differentiating uncomplicated parapneumonic effusions (UPPEs) from complicated parapneumonic effusions (CPPEs) was evaluated prospectively. Methods. Serum and PF sTREM-1 were measured for 68 patients with parapneumonic and transudative pleural effusion. Results. PF (but not serum) sTREM-1 concentrations were significantly higher in CPPE than in UPPE. Serum and PF sTREM-1 levels were higher in parapneumonic than in transudative groups. PF sTREM-1 had a sensitivity of 85.19% and a specificity of 83.33% at cutoff value of 250.5 pg/mL for differentiating CPPE and UPPE with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9336. After excluding purulent CPPE cases, sensitivity and specificity became 90.48% and 83.33%, respectively (at the same cutoff value) with AUC of 0.9444. Conclusion. High concentrations of PF sTREM-1 (above 250.5 pg/mL) help to early diagnose and differentiate CPPE from UPPE.