title: Pediatric bronchoalveolar lavage: practical considerations and future prospects.
abstract: Despite the utilization of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in children since the early 1970s, several challenges remain once the procedure is complete. These include little documentation on normal controls, the limitations due to the size of the patient, and uniform processes for assessment. It was not until 1995 that a taskforce on pediatric BAL was formed by the European Respiratory Society, and to our knowledge, they remain the only committee evaluating the process [1]. We examined our procedures and reviewed the literature in an attempt to document the most fruitful practices that would allow improved data comparison and introduce possible investigations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University School of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shell
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nicol
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods*; D013048:Specimen Handling
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers