Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Dec 1998
Review[Bronchoalveolar lavage in the diagnosis of diffuse interstitial lung disease].
Since the introduction of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), this technique is used both clinically and for research. Use of BAL as a diagnostic aid was introduced fairly recently. For the different steps of the procedure a standardized approach has been proposed. ⋯ Smoking and pharmacotherapy affect the results of the analysis. BAL is a safe procedure with hardly any side effects. This method may in some diseases replace more invasive diagnostic procedures such as biopsy by demonstrating characteristic cells or micro-organisms.