Study of Diagnosis of Malignant Pleural Effusion with Cytopathology and Immunology

Objective To evaluate the ways of cytopathology and immunology in diagnosing malignant pleural effusion.Methods 76 cases diagnosed as malignant pleural effusion were reviewed by clinical history and physical examination,chest X-Ray and CT,cytopathology,needle biopsy of pleural,fibrobronchoscopy,thoracoscopy,level of carcinoembryonic(CEA) in pleural effusion and serum.Results 70.0% of malignant pleural effusion were hemorrhagic effusion.Diagnostic accuracy for malignant pleural effusion: thoracoscopy 90.0%,needle biopsy of pleura 72.0% ,cytopathology 46.0% ,fibrobronchoscopy 27.0%.The level of CEA in malignant pleural effusion was signifcantly higher than those in serum (p0.05).Conclusions Cytopathology makes a determinate diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion.CEA is helpful for the diagnosis.Thoracoscopy is a way of safe and the highest diagnostic rate in malignant pleural effusion.