6
Views
14
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Diagnostic Value of Ascitic Fluid Cholesterol Levels in the Prediction of Malignancy

, , , &
Pages 1085-1088 | Received 11 Feb 1988, Accepted 17 Jun 1988, Published online: 08 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

In a prospective study abdominal paracentesis with ascitic fluid aspiration was performed in 54 consecutive patients with ascites of unknown cause. The ascitic fluid was examined cytologically and bacteriologically. The total cholesterol concentration was measured with an enzymatic colorimetric method. Malignant disease was diagnosed in 34 patients. Two of them had both malignant disease and liver cirrhosis and were excluded. Seventeen patients had liver cirrhosis, one had acute pancreatitis, and two had decompensated heart disease. The diagnostic value of an ascitic cholesterol concentration > 1.2 mmol/1 in terms of predicting malignant disease was 87.5% (95% confidence limits, 71.0–96.5). The predictive value of an ascitic cholesterol concentration ± 1.2 mmol/1 in terms of benign disease was 80.0% (95% confidence limits, 56.3–94.3). It is concluded that ascitic cholesterol measurement is a valuable supplement to cytologic examination in distinguishing between ascites of malignant and benign origin.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.