PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Claudia Ravaglia AU - Sara Tomassetti AU - GianLuca Casoni AU - Carlo Gurioli AU - Christian Gurioli AU - Micaela Romagnoli AU - Sara Piciucchi AU - Alessandra Dubini AU - Marco Chilosi AU - Venerino Poletti TI - BAL findings in desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) and other idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) DP - 2014 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - P3743 VI - 44 IP - Suppl 58 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P3743.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P3743.full SO - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44 AB - Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a useful technique for differential diagnosis of various interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The characteristics of BAL fluid of desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) have not yet been fully elucidated; some authors described BAL eosinophilia as one of the characteristics of DIP, but there are only a few reports. Objective: this retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the additional utility of BAL for the diagnosis of DIP. Methods: BAL findings were studied retrospectively in 15 patients with a biopsy-proven DIP diagnosis and were compared with the BAL profile of 30 patients affected by other categories of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias with a preminent ground glass pattern on Computed Tomography: hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), non specific idiopathic pneumonia (NSIP), sarcoidosis. All patients underwent surgical lung biopsy. BAL was obtained before lung biopsy, or at the first patient evaluation; patients were followed-up for 4,04 years. Results: mean BAL eosinophils count was 7,36% in DIP patients and 2,11% in other IIP patients; mean BAL neutrophils count was 26,45% in DIP and 12,07% in other IIP patients; mean BAL lymphocytes count was 6% in DIP patients and 31,86% in other IIP patients. Logistic regression revealed a significant relation between BAL eosinophyls and the DIP diagnosis (p 0,037) and between BAL lymphocytosis and an alternative diagnosis (p < 0,01). BAL findings were not predictive of survival nor of changes in lung function in DIP patients. Conclusions: BAL findings can be helpful to discriminate the diagnosis between DIP and other IIP and should be considered in the multidisciplinary diagnosis of IIP.