The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of reagent strips for diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in cirrhotic patients with ascites, taking polymorphonuclear cell count in ascetic fluid as standard criterion.

One hundred and fifty patients having cirrhosis of liver and suspicion of SBP admitted in the medical ward of Services Hospital, Lahore were included in the study. Ascetic fluid of the patients was tested in the hospital laboratory for polymorph nuclear cell count and at the same time leukocyte esterase activity of the fluid was assessed by reagent strips. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of reagent strips were calculated.

Frequency of SBP in cirrhotic patients with ascites was 28.67%. Specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of reagent strips for diagnosis of SBP in cirrhotic patients with ascites, taking PMN cell count in ascetic fluid as standard criterion was calculated as 93.02%, 94.39%,86.97%,97.12% and 94% respectively.

In view of the results of the current study reagent strip method can be recommended as a rapid and accurate method for diagnosis of SBP in cirrhotic patients.