Transbronchial Lung Biopsy in Sarcoidosis

Abstract

To determine if the diagnostic yield of the transbronchial lung biopsy in sarcoidosis is dependent on the number of biopsies, individual specimens from 6 biopsies in patients with stage II sarcoidosis were examined. The probability of obtaining a positive specimen per biopsy was 46%; this percentage remained constant for each biopsy. The diagnostic yield followed a logarithmic curve, gradually increasing from 1 through 4 biopsies until about 90% of true positive diagnoses were obtained, then approaching a plateau with successive biopsies. Four transbronchial lung biopsies are apparently sufficient to diagnose stage II sarcoidosis in the majority of patients with diffuse lung disease.