bronchoalveolar lavage


lavage

 [lah-vahzh´] 1. irrigation or washing out of an organ or cavity, as of the stomach or intestine.2. to wash out, or irrigate.bronchoalveolar lavage a technique by which cells and fluid from bronchioles and lung alveoli are removed for diagnosis of disease or evaluation of treatment; a bronchoscope is wedged into a bronchus and sterile saline is pumped in and then removed along with the fluid and cells to be analyzed.

bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL),

procedure for collecting the cellular milieu of the alveoli (for example, microorganisms, types of inflammatory cells) by use of a bronchoscope or other hollow tube through which saline is instilled into distal bronchi and then withdrawn.

bronchoalveolar lavage

A “wash” of the upper respiratory tract mucosa to obtain cells for evaluating inflammation, infection or cancer.
Utility of BAL 
• Cytologic analysis;
• Analysis of CD4:CD8 ratio; and rarely also
• To obtain cells for gene rearrangement to diagnose lymphoma.

bronchoalveolar lavage

Cytology A 'wash' of the upper respiratory tract to obtain cells for evaluating inflammation or cancer of lungs; BAL material is used for 1. Cytologic analysis.2. Analysis of CD4:CD8 ratio and, rarely.3. To obtain cells for gene rearrangement, ie Southern blot hybridization, to diagnose lymphoma.

bron·cho·al·ve·o·lar la·vage

(BAL) (brong'kō-al-vē'ŏ-lăr lă-vahzh') A procedureperformed using fiberoptic bronchoscopy, during which a distal airway is occluded and liquid is then introduced into the airway and recovered for examination of cell types and microorganisms.

Bronchoalveolar lavage

A way of obtaining a sample of fluid from the airways by inserting a flexible tube through the windpipe. Used to diagnose the type of lung disease.Mentioned in: Bronchoscopy, Idiopathic Infiltrative Lung Diseases