Diagnosis for Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS): A Prospective Comparison of Bronchial Washing, Alveolar Lavage, Transbronchial Lung Biopsy, and Open-Lung Biopsy

Abstract

This study was undertaken to compare prospectively the diagnostic yield of the various bronchoscopic techniques with that of open-lung biopsy for interstitial lung disease in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Under general anesthesia, 15 patients sequentially underwent bronchial washing, transbronchial lung biopsy, alveolar lavage, and open-lung biopsy in the same segment of lung. Of nine patients with Pneumocystis carinii, seven were diagnosed by means of the transbronchial lung biopsy, eight by the open-lung biopsy, and all nine by alveolar lavage. Of the six patients with cytomegalovirus, five were diagnosed by the open-lung biopsy, five by the transbronchial lung biopsy, and three by alveolar lavage. The sensitivities of the procedures for identifying infection were washings (15%), transbronchial lung biopsy (50%), alveolar lavage (73%), and open-lung biopsy (88%). Combined, transbronchial lung biopsy and alveolar lavage showed a diagnostic yield (85%) for infections comparable to that of open-lung biopsy (88%), thereby obviating the need for open-lung biopsy for such diagnoses. However, open-lung biopsy was the only procedure that diagnosed Kaposi's sarcoma in lung.