Predictive variables to obtain a bronchoalveolar lavage of adequate quality in patients with interstitial lung diseases

Abstract

Introduction: Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a well-recognised diagnostic tool in patients with Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD). According to the guidelines published by the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society, a BAL is considered of adequate quality when percentage of other cells (epithelial/columnar cells) is Objectives: Determine the predictive variables for obtaining BAL of adequate quality in ILD patients. Methods: Retrospective study of all BALs performed from August 2018 to January 2019 on a dedicated ILD bronchoscopy list of a thoracic referral centre in the United Kingdom. Demographic, clinical, computed tomography (CT) pattern, procedure technique and histopathological data were collected. Results: 63 BALs were performed (27 women and 36 men, mean age of 63 years-old). We obtained adequate BAL quality in 19 patients (30%). Table 1 shows all the variables evaluated according to the quality of BAL. The absence of smoking history and the CT pattern of indeterminate for usual interstitial pneumonia were independent variables associated with an adequate BAL quality (p-value of 0.05 and 0.02, respectively). Conclusion: Smoking history and CT pattern could influence the BAL quality, regardless of lung function and procedure technique.