TY - JOUR T1 - The role of the combined assessment of the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and radiological profile in the diagnosis of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 42 IS - Suppl 57 SP - P2180 AU - Stylianos Michaelides AU - Konstantina Tsakanika AU - Adamantia Englezopoulou AU - Constantinos Paraskevopoulos AU - Angeliki Petoumenou AU - Eftychia Kourtelelessi AU - George Goulas Y1 - 2013/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P2180.abstract N2 - This study aimed to assess the role of the of cytomorphological findings of BAL in combination with patients’ radiological profile in establishment CEP diagnosis. This condition being a relatively uncommon condition is characterized by dense focal alveolar infiltrates and symptoms of dyspnea, cough, malaise and peripheral eosinophilia. We studied the BAL sediments and radiological features of 11 patients (6 male & 5 female) aged 43±5.7 yrs. (mean±SD)) who were hospitalized during the last 5 years. They all presented with compatible symptoms and diffuse bilateral alveolar shadows. Peripheral blood eosinophils, C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were elevated in 10 of the 11 patients (91%).All patients had a chest CT-scan and underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy with BAL. The BAL cell profile showed a variable pattern with a pronounced elevation of eosinophil count (>25%) which was observed in all patients. CT-scans revealed bilateral infiltrates with a predilection for upper lung zones. Lower zone predilection was identified in only one patient. The characteristic “photographic negative of pulmonary edema” distribution was observed in 5 (45.5%) of the patients. Our patients were treated with corticosteroids and had a prompt and dramatic clinical snd radiological improvement. It is concluded that in the appropriate clinical context, combination of BAL findings with the radiological characteristics can practically confirm the diagnosis of CEP rendering more interventional procedures (Video-assisted thoracoscopic or open lung biopsy) rarely necessary for accurate diagnosis and leading to successful treatment. ER -