Diagnostic accuracy of bronchoalveolar lavage in lung lesions

Authors

  • Mridula D Shenoy Department of Pathology, K.S.Hegde Medical Academy, Karnataka (India)
  • Padma Shetty K Department of Pathology, K.S.Hegde Medical Academy, Karnataka (India)
  • Jayaprakash Shetty K Department of Pathology, K.S.Hegde Medical Academy, Karnataka (India)

Keywords:

Bronchoalveolar lavage, bronchoscopic biopsy, lung carcinoma, sensitivity

Abstract

Background: Suspicious lesions in the lung on radiology need further evaluation. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a simple diagnostic procedure which can be done on an outpatient basis.  Cells obtained from bronchial and alveolar spaces can give a definite diagnosis in cases of malignancies and infections.

Materials and methods: This is a prospective study done in Department of Pathology, K.S.Hegde Medical Academy between June 2014 and June 2015. 47 patients underwent BAL out of which 33 patients underwent simultaneous bronchoscopic biopsy. BAL fluid was centrifuged immediately and 4 smears were made from the sediment. Biopsy specimens were sent to the histopathology lab in 10% formalin.

Results:  Of the 47 patients who underwent BAL, 18 patients had benign lesions and 22 cases were malignant. 7 cases were inadequate for diagnosis. Among the 47 patients only 33 patients had a conclusive histopathological diagnosis. Out of this 33 patients, 15 cases diagnosed as benign on BAL . however on correlation with histopathology 7 were found to be malignant. Malignant cases on BAL were proved by histopathological examination(HPE).  Overall efficacy for diagnosing malignant lesions in our study showed a sensitivity of 72%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100% and negative predictive value of 53.3%.

Conclusion: BAL shows good sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in diagnosing lung lesions. Benign cases needs to be confirmed by biopsy. Thus a combination of both BAL and HPE is always beneficial. 

DOI: 10.21276/APALM.1525

Author Biography

Mridula D Shenoy, Department of Pathology, K.S.Hegde Medical Academy, Karnataka (India)

Pathology

References

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Published

28-01-2018

How to Cite

1.
Shenoy MD, K PS, K JS. Diagnostic accuracy of bronchoalveolar lavage in lung lesions. Ann of Pathol and Lab Med [Internet]. 2018 Jan. 28 [cited 2024 Oct. 30];5(1):A57-59. Available from: https://pacificejournals.com/journal/index.php/apalm/article/view/apalm1525

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2018)

Section

Original Article

License

Copyright (c) 2018 Mridula D Shenoy, Padma Shetty K, Jayaprakash Shetty K

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