title: Percutaneous cavitary lavage in the diagnosis of pulmonary cavities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate diagnostic significance of percutaneous cavitary lavage (PCL) in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary cavitary lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  An alternative diagnostic method called PCL was performed on 16 patients having peripherally located pulmonary cavitary lesions with thin walls which were not suitable for tissue biopsy and whose diagnosis could not be made by sputum examination and bronchoscopic procedures. A 22-gauge needle was inserted into the cavity under computed tomography (CT) guidance. Saline was injected through the needle and then aspirated. The specimen was examined cytologically and microbiologically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PCL could make a correct diagnosis in 12 of 16 patients (75%). In three patients (18.7%) appropriate specimen could not be taken. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of PCL for malignant-benign differentiation was 80% and 100%, respectively. The accuracy of PCL for this differentiation was 92.3%. There was only one complication, a small pneumothorax resolved without any intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PCL is an alternative method in the differential diagnosis of thin walled pulmonary cavitary lesions especially for patients whose diagnosis could not be made by sputum and bronchoscopic procedures and who are not suitable for cutting needle biopsy.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Turkey.
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Belet
authors.forename: Serhat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Findik
authors.forename: Zafer
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ozmen
authors.forename: Atilla Guven
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Atici
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akan
keywords: Diagnosis; bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; therapeutic irrigation