Bronchoalveolar Wash: Proposal of a Cutting Point for Lactate Dehydrogenase in the Differential Diagnosis of Pulmonary Diseases

Abstract

Background: The analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is of great clinical utility in the diagnosis of pulmonary diseases (PDs). The cytological study (total and differential cell count) performed routinely in these samples, has a high orientative power and is diagnostic in some cases. The study of soluble substances has provided little information. This study aimed to determine the cut-off point of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the diagnosis of different lung diseases.