[Significance of bronchial alveolar lavage in the diagnosis of eosinophilic pneumonia].
We describe 3 cases of eosinophilic pneumonia of unknown etiology with atypical clinical findings diagnosed by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). In 2 patients with subacute symptoms and restrictive ventilatory dysfunction there was no eosinophilia in peripheral blood, and chest X-ray showed a bilateral acinar and mixed interstitial-acinar pattern respectively. Transbronchial lung biopsies revealed only nonspecific changes. The third patient had acute respiratory failure and the eosinophils in peripheral blood were 1500/microliters. Chest X-ray demonstrated only minimal interstitial changes. In all instances the eosinophilic pneumonia was diagnosed by a marked BAL-eosinophilia of 25 to 45%. No specific etiology could be detected for the eosinophilic lung disease. The response to treatment with corticosteroids was prompt.
Speich
R
R
Département für Innere Medizin, Universitätsspital, Zürich.
Hess
T
T
Krestin
G P
GP
Lagler
U
U
Russi
E W
EW
D000368:Aged; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D004804:Eosinophils; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011657:Pulmonary Eosinophilia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D011859:Radiography; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests
D011241:Prednisone
Die Bedeutung der bronchoalveolären Lavage in der Diagnose von eosinophilen Pneumonien.