Usefulness of Pleural Adenosine Deaminase in Children for the Differentiation Tuberculous Pleural Effusion fromMycoplasma pneumoniawith Pleural Effusion

operating characteristic analysis was 0.810. With a cut-off level for ADA of 60 U/L, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 92.3%, 61.9%, 60.0%, and 92.9%, respectively. As many as 38.9% of patients with MP were false-positive with this ADA cut-off setting. Conclusion:Although the measurement of ADA activity in pleural fluid can help TPE diagnosis, we should consider that some cases of MP with pleural effusion showed high ADA activities. Accordingly, the utility of the ADA level in pleural fluid for the differentiation of TPE from MP declines and additional relevant studies are required. (Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis(Korea) 2012;22: 404-410)