Abstract :
Introduction: Cytological examination of pleural fluid is of paramount importance, it reveals information about inflammatory conditions, and malignant and metastatic pleural effusions.
Materials and Methods: This study on pleural fluid cytology, was done over a period of two years and 100 cases of pleural effusion with relevant clinical data were obtained.
Results: Females had predominance of malignant effusions (53.84%) compared to males (46.15%) with M:F ratio of 1:1.2. 84% 0f the samples are exudative and 16% of samples are transudative effusions Among samples received maximum number of samples had a clinical diagnosis of Tuberculosis (52%) Pneumonia (25%), and Malignant effusion (10%).
Conclusion: Pleural fluid cytology is the most useful tests in establishing the diagnosis of pleural effusion. Cytological examination of body fluids is a complete diagnostic modality which aims at pointing out the etiology and prognosis of effusion. The technique is simple, safe, cost-effective and reproducible even in resource limited settings.
Keyword :
Pleural fluid, Cytology, Tuberculosis, Pneumonia