Abstract:
Objective To study the application of DNA image cytometry (DNA-ICM) in the diagnosis of pleural effusion.
Methods DNA-ICM was applied for the determination of DNA levels in the cast-off cells from pleural effusion in 50 patients. Meanwhile, using the cytological test results as the standard, we analyzed the optimal thresholds of this technology in diagnosing the positive cases.
Results Compared with exfoliative cytology examination, DNA-ICM had a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 100% in the diagnosis, with a threshold of 1 cell when the DNA index ≥ 2.5.
Conclusion DNA-ICM can be promising in the diagnosis of pleural effusion, whereas its thresholds require further investigations.