Bronchoalveolar lavage BAL

• Facts:
  Method of sampling lung cells during bronchoscopy
  Greatest diagnostic utility in the evaluation of suspected malignancy and opportunistic infections
• Indications:
  Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)
• Notes:
  Less diagnostic utility in evaluating other forms of interstitial lung disease, such as interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis , and connective tissue diseases