HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (7) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Warke, T.J. Articles by Ennis, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Warke, T.J. Articles by Ennis, M.

The repeatability of nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage differential cell counts

Depts of ¹ Child Health and ² Clinical Biochemistry, The Queen's University of Belfast

CORRESPONDENCE: M. Ennis, Dept of Clinical Biochemistry, The Queen's University of Belfast, Institute of Clinical Science, Grosvenor Road, Belfast, BT12 6BJ, Northern Ireland, UK. Fax: 44 2890236143

Keywords: Bronchoalveolar lavage, differential cell count, nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage, repeatability

Received: January 8, 2001
Accepted June 29, 2001

The study was supported by the following funding sources: Research and Development Office for Northern Ireland; Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children; National Asthma Campaign, UK.

Airway inflammation in children can be assessed by nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Little is known about the repeatability of cell counts in the BAL obtained.

Children (n=43) attending for elective surgery were studied. Cell counts were obtained following a nonbronchoscopic lavage. Two samples were obtained with either: 1) the catheter wedged in the same position (n=21) or 2) the catheter reinserted and wedged again (n=22). Slides (n=30) from nonbronchoscopic lavage samples were selected at random and two independent observers counted 500 cells on each slide on two occasions. The repeatability of the lavage sampling and cell counting was assessed for different cell types.

The inter- and intra-observer repeatability for the differential cell counting demonstrated that there was good repeatability for all cell types except lymphocytes (interobserver: Lin's concordance coefficient 0.42; repeatability coefficient 0.66). Quantification of eosinophil (%) was highly repeatable using either method (Lin's concordance coefficient 1) 0.99, 2) 0.95; repeatability coefficient 1) 0.58, 2) 1.36).

Nonbronchoscopic lavage is a repeatable technique for the quantification of eosinophils. Variation in the sampling method can be reduced by taking two separate samples and averaging the differential cell counts. Furthermore, increasing the number of cells counted should ensure accurate quantification of lymphocytes.