Is bronchoscopic lung biopsy helpful in the management of patients with diffuse lung disease?

To the Editors:

We enjoyed reading the recent retrospective analysis by Ensminger and Prakash 1 of fluoroscopy-guided bronchoscopic lung biopsies (BLB) in patients with suspected diffuse lung disease, which concluded that BLB is a clinically useful test in ∼75% of procedures.

One of the most common indicators for BLB is suspected pulmonary sarcoidosis. In these patients, endobronchial biopsies (EBB) of visible mucosa, in addition to BLB, can be helpful in achieving a …