Non‐neoplastic respiratory fluid cytology including cell differential counts for interstitial lung disease

Abstract

Bronchioloalveolar lavage (BAL) is a non-invasive and well tolerated procedure that plays a key role in the diagnosis of a variety of non-neoplastic pulmonary diseases including acute respiratory failure, infection, diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DLPD), paediatric and occupational lung disease, and in the evaluation of the lung allograft. A variety of analytic techniques are commonly performed on BAL fluid including cytology, cell differential count, microbiology and virology, as well as a number of additional techniques in specific circumstances.