The correct answer is pleural fluid trigs > 110 mg/dl. While the appearance of milky fluid suggests a chylothorax, it is not diagnostic. A pleural fluid cholesterol level > 200 mg/dl is diagnostic of a cholesterol effusion (seen with TB, paragonimiasis, and RA). A pleural fluid trig level > 110 mg/dl is diagnostic of a chylous effusion in the right clinical context while a level < 50 mg/dl strongly suggests a diagnosis other than a chylous effusion.
The correct answer is pleural fluid trigs > 110 mg/dl. While the appearance of milky fluid suggests a chylothorax, it is not diagnostic. A pleural fluid cholesterol level > 200 mg/dl is diagnostic of a cholesterol effusion (seen with TB, paragonimiasis, and RA). A pleural fluid trig level > 110 mg/dl is diagnostic of a chylous effusion in the right clinical context while a level < 50 mg/dl strongly suggests a diagnosis other than a chylous effusion.