INTERNAL MEDICINE, cilt.48, sa.5, ss.287-293, 2009 (SCI-Expanded)
Background and Objective Pleural effusion due to congestive heart failure (CHF) typically are transudates. Light's criteria may be insufficient in determining if the pleural effusion is transudative or exudative in patients with CHF. The aim of our study was to assess the diagnostic performance of the amino-terminal fragment of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in pleural fluid and serum for the identification of pleural effusion owing to heart failure.