Use of Procalcitonin in the Diagnosis of Pleural Effusion

Evaluation of Procalcitonin as a Diagnostic Tool for Patients With Pleural Effusion

Status

UNKNOWN

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00172835

Enrollment

100

Registered

2005-09-15

Start date

2005-03-31

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2005-09-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pleural Effusion

Keywords

pleural effusion, procalcitonin

Brief summary

Among several markers of inflammation and sepsis, procalcitonin (PCT) markers is being studied to investigate their accuracy for the diagnosis of bacterial infections. PCT is the prehormone of calcitonin, which is normally secreted by the C cells of the thyroid in response to hypercalcemia; under these normal conditions, negligible serumPCT concentrations are detected. The mechanism proposed for PCT production after inflammation and its role are still not completely known. It is believed that PCT is produced by the liver and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, modulated by lipopolysaccharides and sepsis-related cytokines. It binds to polysaccharides in pathogens, activating the classical complement pathway. The reported diagnostic accuracy of PCT for the diagnosis of bacterial infections has varied across studies.

Interventions

None listed

Study design

Observational model

NATURAL_HISTORY

Time perspective

OTHER

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Clinical diagnosis of pleural effusion * Pleural effusion proved by chest sonography

Exclusion criteria

* Conditions for which thoracentesis are contraindicated * Pregnancy

Countries

Taiwan

Contacts

Primary ContactPo-Ren Hsueh, MD

prhsueh@ntumc.org886-2-2356-5363

Outcome results