Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30913213›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2019

Adenosine deaminase for diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ashutosh Nath Aggarwal, Ritesh Agarwal, Inderpaul Singh Sehgal, Sahajal Dhooria

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 84 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
84citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
15.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

84 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 186 citations in OpenAlex.

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  9. Development of a diagnostic nomogram for tuberculous pleural effusion.Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases · 2026
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24 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ashutosh Nath AggarwalDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.ORCID 0000-0001-8556-3600
Ritesh AgarwalDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Inderpaul Singh SehgalDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Sahajal DhooriaDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research · IN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivePleural fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) is a useful diagnostic test for tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), but its exact threshold and accuracy in clinical decision-making is unclear. We aimed to assess diagnostic performance of ADA in TPE and to clarify its optimal diagnostic threshold.

methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for articles indexed up to October 2018. We included English language studies that provided both sensitivity and specificity of ADA in TPE diagnosis. Summary estimates for sensitivity and specificity were obtained through bivariate random effects model, both overall and at prespecified threshold ranges of <36, 40±4, 45-65 and >65 IU/L.

resultsWe retrieved 2162 citations, and included 174 publications with 27009 patients. All studies showed high risk of bias. Summary sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio estimates were 0.92 (95% CI 0.90-0.93), 0.90 (95% CI 0.88-0.91) and 97.42 (95% CI 74.90-126.72) respectively. 65 studies with ADA threshold of 40±4 IU/L showed summary sensitivity and specificity of 0.93 (95% CI 0.90-0.95) and 0.90 (95% CI 0.87-0.91) respectively. Four studies with ADA threshold >65 IU/L showed summary sensitivity and specificity of 0.86 (95% CI 0.61-0.96) and 0.94 (95% CI 0.80-0.99) respectively.

conclusionADA levels in pleural fluid show good diagnostic accuracy in diagnosis of TPE; however, all included studies showed high risk of bias. It was not possible to derive any firm inference on relative clinical utility of different diagnostic thresholds.

Indexed as

Adenosine DeaminaseAnimalsFemaleHumansMalePleural EffusionTuberculosis, PleuralAdenosine Deaminase

Identifiers

PMID30913213
PMCPMC6435228
OpenAlexW2924812083

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.