[The humeral immunity indices of pleural exudate in the diagnosis and prognosis of the pleural complications after lung operations and chest trauma].
Examination of humoral immunity factors in the pleural exudate was carried out in 49 patients: 15 patients had clotted postoperative hemothorax, 10 patients had bronchial fistulas after pulmonectomy, 24 patients were included in a control group. In patients with clotted postoperative hemothorax a decreased circulating immune complex (CIC) level in the pleural exudate was observed on the 10th-14th days followed by the elevation of the CIC level with a simultaneous increase in the IgA concentration and a decrease in the IgC and IgM concentration. Characteristic of the patients with bronchial fistulas and pleural empyemas was the two-fold increase of the IgA, IgM and IgG level in the pleural exudate as compared with the normal postoperative course.