Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1987 Oct;42(10):766-72.
doi: 10.1136/thx.42.10.766.

Role of bronchoalveolar lavage in the evaluation of interstitial pneumonitis in recipients of bone marrow transplants

H J Milburn  1 , H G Prentice, R M du Bois
Affiliations

Role of bronchoalveolar lavage in the evaluation of interstitial pneumonitis in recipients of bone marrow transplants

H J Milburn et al. Thorax. 1987 Oct.

Abstract

Forty episodes of pneumonitis in 30 recipients of allogeneic bone marrow transplants were investigated by fibreoptic bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage. A positive diagnosis was made in 32 episodes of pneumonitis (24 patients), giving a diagnostic yield of 80%. In 31 of these the diagnosis was made within 24 hours of bronchoscopy and this enabled the appropriate treatment to be instituted early. Eighteen patients recovered from their primary infection, although two died subsequently of respiratory failure due to postpneumonic lung destruction. Ten patients later developed a second episode of pneumonitis and a diagnosis was made in nine of these. Only three survived a second episode. Bronchoalveolar lavage was well tolerated by all patients and there was no morbidity or mortality that could be directly attributed to the procedure. Bronchoalveolar lavage is a safe and valuable early diagnostic procedure for the investigation of pulmonary complications in patients who have received bone marrow transplants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. N Engl J Med. 1967 Mar 16;276(11):604-8 - PubMed
    1. Ann Intern Med. 1985 Sep;103(3):368-73 - PubMed
    1. Chest. 1972 Aug;62(2):125-8 - PubMed
    1. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1975 Jun;111(6):853-6 - PubMed
    1. JAMA. 1976 Jan 12;235(2):158-63 - PubMed

Publication types