Growth of fibroblasts, recovery, differential counts and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scores in 10 systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with alveolitis
| Disease form | Growth of BAL/biopsy | Recovery fibroblasts | Differential counts | HRCT GGO | ||||
| mL | Cells 106 | Lymphocytes | Neutrophils | Eosinophils | % of lungs | Regions n | ||
| lcSSc | -/ND | 70 (50) | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| lcSSc | -/- | 50 (36) | 2.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 |
| lcSSc | +/+ | 38 (25) | 12 | 8 | 42 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| dcSSc | +/+ | 27 (18) | 0.8 | 13 | 10 | 4.5 | 60 | 6 |
| dcSSc | -/+ | 48 (48) | 6.4 | 9 | 4 | 5 | ND | ND |
| lcSSc | -/- | 70 (64) | 2.9 | 8 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 5 | 2 |
| lcSSc | # | 57 (71) | 5.7 | 12 | 19.5 | 3.5 | 70 | 6 |
| lcSSc | +/+ | 41 (34) | 3.6 | 25.5 | 23 | 4 | 25 | 5 |
| dcSSc | -/- | 50 (50) | 1.5 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 30 | 6 |
| dcSSc | +/- | 40 (50) | 1.2 | 8.5 | 28 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
Data are presented as % or n (%), unless otherwise stated. BAL: bronchoalveolar lavage; GGO: ground-glass opacity; lcSSc: limited cutaneous SSc; dcSSc: diffuse cutaneous SSc; -: negative; ND: not determined; +: positive. #: cultures discarded because of contamination.