Biochemical pattern of the ascitic fluid in liver cirrhosis and in neoplastic diseases.

: In 22 subjects with liver cirrhosis and in 18 with malignancy, both with ascites, 10 biochemical parameters have been investigated in ascitic fluid. The evaluation of data by cluster analysis, optimized with the aid of multivariate normality testing, was able to recognize correctly a majority of cases. For diagnosis of malignancy, an 89% sensitivity and 82% specificity was obtained. The described way of data collecting and processing is recommended for the clinical practice.