The diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) ascites using standard diagnostic tools is difficult. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to establish the overall diagnostic accuracy of adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels in ascites for diagnosing TB ascites. A systematic review was performed of English language publications prior to April 2013. Sensitivity, specificity, and other measures of the accuracy of ADA for the diagnosis of TB ascites using ascites fluid were summarized using a random-effects model or a fixed-effects model. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to summarize overall test performance. Seventeen studies involving 1797 subjects were eligible for the analysis. The summary estimates of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, and the area under cure of overall analysis were: 0.93, 0.94, 13.55, 0.11, 169.83, and 0.976, respectively; the results of sensitivity analysis of studies that used Giusti method were 0.94, 0.94, 12.99, 0.08, 183.18, and 0.977, respectively. Our results suggest that ADA in the ascites can be a sensitive and specific target and a critical criterion for the diagnosis of TB ascites.

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Malignant ascites (MA) accompanies a variety of abdominal and extra-abdominal tumors. It is a primary cause of morbidity and raises several treatment challenges. MA has several symptoms, producing a significant reduction in the patient's quality of life: loss of proteins and electrolyte disorders cause diffuse oedema, while the accumulation of abdominal fluid facilitates sepsis. Treatment options include a multitude of different procedures with limited efficacy and some degree of risk. A Pubmed, Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library review of medical, interventional and surgical treatments of MA has been performed. Medical therapy, primarily paracentesis and diuretics, are first-line treatments in managing MA. Paracentesis is widely adopted but it is associated with significant patient discomfort and several risks. Diuretic therapy is effective at the very beginning of the disease but efficacy declines with tumor progression. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and radioisotopes are promising medical options but their clinical application is not yet completely elucidated, and further investigations and trials are necessary. Peritoneal-venous shunts are rarely used due to high rates of early mortality and complications. Laparoscopy and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) have been proposed as palliative therapy. Literature on the use of laparoscopic HIPEC in MA includes only reports with small numbers of patients, all showing successful control of ascites. To date, none of the different options has been subjected to evidence-based clinical trials and there are no accepted guidelines for the management of MA.

The serum-ascites albumin difference, an index of the serum-ascites oncotic pressure difference, correlates directly with the pressure gradient between the portal capillaries and the peritoneal cavity. This test was compared with the ascites total protein concentration in the separation of "transudative" and "exudative" ascites. The serum-ascites albumin difference was large in patients with transudative ascites (1.6 +/- 0.5 g/dl) and small in patients with exudative ascites (0.6 +/- 0.4 g/dl, p less than 0.001) and provided significantly better discrimination of these categories than did the ascites total protein concentration. The serum-ascites albumin difference was especially useful in the separation of cardiac ascites, which usually has a high total protein concentration, from high protein exudative ascites. The serum-ascites albumin difference did not provide perfect discrimination of any category, however; in patients with mixed causes of ascites, this difference tended to be large, resembling ordinary transudative ascites, a potential source of diagnostic error. Nevertheless, the serum-ascites albumin difference has superior discriminatory power and should replace the ascites total protein concentration in the routine diagnostic examination of ascites.

BACKGROUND: The present review aims to increase the awareness of the gynecologists by analyzing all the case reports which refer to endometriosis presenting either with only ascites or with massive ascites with pleural effusion. METHODS: To conduct the present review, the CENTRAL (in the Cochrane Library, current issue), MEDLINE (Silver Platter, from 1950 to 2010), and EMBASE (from 1950 to 2010) electronic databases were searched. As a result, all the publications based on the keywords relating to the review topic were acquired. RESULTS: Since the description of first case in 1954, endometriosis-related ascites was reported to occur in a total of 63 women who were aged between 19 and 51 years. Approximately 63.0% of the recruited women for whom ethnicity was specified were of African origin (29 out of 46). Of the 50 subjects with known obstetric history, 41 (82.0%) were nulliparous. Abdominal distention, anorexia/weight loss, abdominal pain, and menometrorrhagia were the most frequently encountered clinical symptoms, whereas pelvic mass was the most common physical finding. The serum concentrations of CA 125 were between 20 and 3,504 IU/ml for 19 women whose CA 125 levels were determined. Pleural effusion was also present in 38.1% of the reviewed subjects (24 out of 63). The clinical features of the women with endometriosis-related ascites and pleural effusion were similar to those of the women who had only endometriosis-related ascites. CONCLUSION: Endometriosis-related ascites and/or pleural effusion refers to extensive disease with a high risk for recurrence which usually affects non-Caucasian, nulliparous women of reproductive age and leads to clinical symptoms resembling those of an ovarian malignancy. Therefore, clinicians should consider endometriosis in differential diagnosis of pelvic masses and also include endometriosis in diagnostic workup of ascites or pleural effusion.

OBJECTIVE: Satavaptan, a vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist, has been shown to improve the control of ascites in cirrhosis in short-term phase II studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of satavaptan in three different populations of patients with cirrhosis and ascites. METHODS: 1200 patients were included in three randomised double-blind studies comparing satavaptan with placebo in uncomplicated ascites (study 1: n=463 patients) and difficult-to-treat ascites, with and without concomitant diuretic treatment (studies 2 and 3: n=497 and n=240 patients, respectively). RESULTS: Satavaptan was not more effective than placebo in the control of ascites in any of the populations studied as estimated by the primary efficacy endpoints: worsening of ascites (study 1) and the cumulative number of large-volume paracenteses during 12 weeks (studies 2 and 3). Nevertheless, some of the secondary efficacy endpoints related to the treatment of ascites were met in the three studies, suggesting a slight advantage of satavaptan over placebo in delaying ascites formation. Moreover, satavaptan was more effective than placebo in improving the serum sodium concentration in patients with hyponatraemia. The incidence of major complications of cirrhosis during follow-up did not differ significantly between the satavaptan and placebo groups in the three studies. Overall, the rate of any treatment-related adverse events, serious treatment-related events and treatment-related events leading to permanent discontinuation of treatment did not differ significantly between the treatment groups. However, in study 2 mortality was higher in patients treated with satavaptan compared with placebo (HR 1.47; 95% CI 1.01 to 2.15); no significant differences in mortality between the two groups were observed in the other two studies. No specific cause for the increased mortality was identified. Most deaths were associated with known complications of liver cirrhosis. CONCLUSION: Satavaptan, alone or in combination with diuretics, is not clinically beneficial in the long-term management of ascites in cirrhosis.

The value of adenosine deaminase activity (ADA) in ascitic fluid was examined in 12 patients with confirmed peritoneal tuberculosis and compared with that of 96 patients with ascites of other different etiologies as an age-matched control group, to determine the diagnostic value of the ADA activity in tuberculous ascites. The mean adenosine deaminase activity (ADA) value in ascitic fluid of the tuberculous peritonitis group was 47.9 +/- 21.9 IU/L and in the control group 9.6 +/- 5 U/L (mean +/- SD); p less than 0.01. A different method than that usually reported in tuberculous peritonitis was used for ascites ADA estimation. The best sensitivity and specificity was obtained when greater than 32 U/L was used as a cutoff point. The ascites ADA activity correlated with the ascites total protein concentration in the tuberculosis group (r = 0.842). Our findings confirm other results and support the ADA activity determination in ascitic fluid as a useful noninvasive screening test in the diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis in endemic areas or in high risk patients. However, false-negative results may occur in those patients in which ascites total protein concentration is low.

A guideline on the management of symptomatic malignant ascites by abdominal paracentesis, diuretics and peritoneovenous shunting, based on a systematic review of the literature is presented. Thirty-two relevant studies were identified. None were randomized control trials, one was a non-randomized open controlled trial, five were cohort studies or prospective uncontrolled trials, 26 studies were non-analytic studies like case series. Although paracentesis, diuretics and shunting are commonly used procedures, the evidence is weak. Available data show good, although temporary effect of paracentesis on symptom relief. Fluid withdrawal speed and concurrent intravenous hydration is not sufficiently studied. Peritoneovenous shunts can control ascites in patients with malignant ascites, but have to be balanced by the potential risks of this procedure. The available data about diuretics in treatment of malignant ascites are controversial. The use of diuretics therefore should be considered in all patients, but has to be evaluated individually.

Malignant ascites (MA) is a sign of advanced cancer and poor prognosis. MA can result in impairment in quality of life (QOL) and significant symptoms. As a supportive treatment, ascites can be drained by paracentesis (PC), percutaneously implanted catheters (tunneled, untunneled, central venous catheters), or peritoneal ports, or peritoneovenous shunts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) of different drainage methods for the management of MA. A systematic review of the literature was performed, and 32 original articles met the inclusion criteria. Patients selected for permanent drain insertion demonstrated symptoms related to MA and had undergone repeated PC. The primary focus of the reviewed articles was procedural safety issues. The rate of technical success of drainage device installation was 100%. Most patients experienced improvements in symptom control after ascites drainage. When analyzed together, 19.7% (255/1297) of patients experienced any complication and 6.2% (81/1297) experienced serious adverse events during MA drainage. Complications were reported for every drainage method; however, the least occurred after PC or central venous catheter, while the most serious occurred after peritoneovenous shunts. Adverse events were as follows: catheter obstruction: 4.4%, infection: 4.1%, leakage: 3.5%, catheter dislodgment: 2.3%, hypotension: 0.6%, injuries during device insertion: 0.6%, renal impairment: 0.5%, electrolyte imbalance: 0.2%, other: 3.6%. PRO and QOL endpoints were available for 12 studies. When PRO were measured using an interview, a significant improvement in symptom control and QOL was reported in almost all patients. Once standardized questionnaires were used, improvements in symptomatic scores and role functioning were observed. Deterioration was observed in cognitive and emotional subscales. MA drainage is a safe and effective method to control symptoms associated with ascites, and should be perceived as a supportive care, that can be applied for those who need it at any time of their cancer trajectory. Patient selection should be performed using a thorough assessment of symptoms and QOL, and should not be delayed.

The serum-ascites albumin difference is reported to be superior to ascitic total protein, ascitic-to-serum total protein ratio, lactic dehydrogenase, and ascitic-to-serum lactic dehydrogenase ratio in differentiating between ascites from liver disease and malignant ascites, S-A greater than 1.1 reflecting portal hypertension. We analyzed ascitic fluid from 46 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease, 28 patients with ascites associated with malignancy, 10 patients with right-sided heart failure, 4 patients with hypothyroidism, and 6 patients with miscellaneous causes of ascites to determine if this albumin difference is indeed a more valuable parameter. Analysis of our data confirms with a larger number of patients that the serum-ascites albumin difference is a more reliable indicator of transudative ascites, better termed portal hypertensive ascites. Malignant ascites without liver metastases had features of nonportal hypertensive ascites, and the serum-ascites albumin difference confirms this. The characteristics of malignant ascites associated with liver metastases, however, resemble those of the portal hypertensive ascites complicating liver disease. This new parameter is also helpful in distinguishing congestive heart failure with high protein ascites and portal hypertensive ascitic features from malignant ascites without liver metastases. Of particular note, myxedematous ascitic fluid, classically categorized as exudative, had an S-A greater than 1.1, indicating the possible role of portal hypertension in the development of ascites in these patients.