title: Relationship between radiologic patterns, pulmonary function values and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cells in newly diagnosed sarcoidosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the present study was to identify specious radiologic and/or physiologic prognostic marker(s), which lead to optimize of the patient follow-up frequency.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty consecutive patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis. Patients underwent chest radiography, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) examination, pulmonary function tests (PFT), bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung biopsy, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cell examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The reduction in PFT values seen in radiological sarcoidosis stage III was greater than that seen in stages I and II. The percentage of neutrophils in the lungs was found to increase in stages II and III. PFT indices were correlated negatively with the consolidation and ground glass opacities CT scores, but not with the micronodule or macronodule scores. The rise in the percentage of BALF lymphocytes was associated with the restriction pattern of PFT. The diagnostic value of BALF for sarcoidosis was higher when the typical radiologic patterns of stage I disease were found and that smoking decreased the diagnostic value of CD4/CD8 ratio.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study supports the opinion that the staging of the pulmonary sarcoidosis with chest X-rays is still valuable from the prognostic point of view, because significant correlations between the radiologic stages of sarcoidosis and PFT parameters were found. Chest HRCT was significantly superior to chest X-ray in detecting mediastinal and pulmonary parenchymal changes. However, the prognostic role of HRCT needs to be better investigated evaluating serial examinations. Only consolidation and ground glass scores (neither of which are frequently found in sarcoidosis) hold prognostic value, since these were negatively correlated with PFT parameters.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Infectious, Chest diseases, Dermatovenereology and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania;; Center of Pulmonology and Allergology, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aleksonienė
authors.affiliation: Center of Radiology and Nuclear medicinet, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Ingrida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zeleckienė
authors.affiliation: Center of Radiology and Nuclear medicinet, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Mindaugas
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matačiūnas
authors.affiliation: Center of Informatics and Development, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Roma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Puronaitė
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Cardiovascular Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania;; Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Blood Transfusion, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Laimutė
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jurgauskienė
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Cardiovascular Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania;; Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Blood Transfusion, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Radvilė
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malickaitė
authors.affiliation: Center of Pulmonology and Allergology, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Edita
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Strumilienė
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Infectious, Chest diseases, Dermatovenereology and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania;; Center of Pulmonology and Allergology, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Vygantas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gruslys
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Infectious, Chest diseases, Dermatovenereology and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania;; Center of Pulmonology and Allergology, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Rolandas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zablockis
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Infectious, Chest diseases, Dermatovenereology and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania;; Center of Pulmonology and Allergology, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Edvardas
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Danila
keywords: Computed tomography (CT); bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL); bronchoscopy; pulmonary function testing; sarcoidosis