Serum B‐type natriuretic peptide in the initial workup of patients with new onset ascites: A diagnostic accuracy study
Alberto Q. Farias, Odilson M. Silvestre, Guadalupe Garcia‐Tsao, Luis F.B. Seguro, Daniel F. Mazo, Fernando Bacal, José L. Andrade, Luciana L. Gonçalves, Célia Strunz, Danusa S. Ramos, Demerson Polli, Vincenzo Pugliese, Ana C.T. Rodrigues, Meive S. Furtado, Flair J. Carrilho, Luiz A.C. D'Albuquerque – 2 August 2013 – Heart failure (HF) is, after cirrhosis, the second‐most common cause of ascites. Serum B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) plays an important role in the diagnosis of HF. Therefore, we hypothesized that BNP would be useful in the differential diagnosis of ascites.