Abstract Background: The finding of an exudative effusion usually requires an extensive diagnostic
workup, leading to an unnecessary exposure to invasive and expensive diagnostic procedures.
Thus a strategy of identifying pleural effusions due to heart failure and possibly avoiding unnecessary
diagnostic thoracentesis and/or further diagnostic procedures would be an attractive and
potentially beneficial approach [6]. NT-proBNP measured in serum is a sensitive marker of cardiac
dysfunction and proven to be a useful tool in the diagnosis of acute and chronic systolic and diastolic
left ventricular heart failure [7,8].
Purpose: The present study was conducted to assess the diagnostic value of NT-proBNP in the
differentiation of cardiogenic and non cardiogenic pleural effusion.
Patients and methods: Forty patients with pleural effusion were included in this study. Twenty
patients with cardiogenic pleural effusions (pleural effusion due to cardiac cause) and 20 patients
with non cardiogenic pleural effusions (pleural effusion due to non cardiac cause). All patients were
subjected to full history, clinical examination, investigation to detect the etiology of the pleural effusion
and measurement of serum and pleural fluid NT-proBNP.
Results: In this study we found that pleural fluid NT-proBNP levels were significantly higher in
patients with cardiogenic pleural effusions than that of patients with non cardiogenic pleural effusions
(Mean ±SEM, 5231± 671.1 and 628.8± 120.1 respectively, P value < 0.0001). Also NTproBNP
levels in the serum of the patients with cardiogenic pleural effusions were significantly
higher than that of patients with non cardiogenic pleural effusions (Mean± SEM,4792± 612.7, and 604.0 ± 120.1 respectively, P value