Table 2.
Cytological examination of the bronchoalveolar lavage.
| Patient #1 | Patient #2 | Patient #3 | Reference intervals# | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day after hospitalization BAL was performed | 15th | 6th | 5th | |
| Alveolar macrophages % | 36 | 31 | 33 | 80–90% |
| Lymphocytes % | 46 | 15 | 21 | 5–15% |
| Neutrophils, % | 3 | 44 | 38 | 1–3% |
| Mast cells % | 6 | 0 | 2 | <1% |
| Eosinophils % | 2 | 1 | 1 | ≤1% |
| p/p-like cells % | 8 | 9 | 6 | Absent |
| Red blood cells | Present | Present | Present | Absent |
| Type II pneumocytes aggregated in clusters | Absent | Present | Present | Absent |
p/p-like cells: plasmoblastic/plasmocytoid-like cells.
#BAL Cooperative Group Steering Committee. Bronchoalveolar lavage constituents in healthy individuals, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and selected comparison groups [9].