Sensitivity of GeneXpert in pleural biopsy specimens in diagnosing tuberculosis in undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion.

Diagnosis is often clinical or based on elevated pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (adenosine deaminase) levels.

Histopathological examination identified 90 patients with pleural tuberculosis (study group) and 170 with non-tubercular etiology (control group).

Sensitivity was higher (40%) in patients with pleural fluid adenosine deaminase >40 IU/L compared to those with adenosine deaminase <40 IU/L (15%).

Notably, 4 of 90 patients (4.4%) in the study group were found to have rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis-these patients were on first-line anti-TB treatment at the time of biopsy.