Pediatric Bronchoalveolar Lavage: Practical Considerations and Future Prospects

Abstract

Despite the utilization of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in children since the early 1970s, several challenges remain once the procedure is complete. These include little documentation on normal controls, the limitations due to the size of the patient, and uniform processes for assessment. It was not until 1995 that a taskforce on pediatric BAL was formed by the European Respiratory Society, and to our knowledge, they remain the only committee evaluating the process [ 1 ]. We examined our procedures and reviewed the literature in an attempt to document the most fruitful practices that would allow improved data comparison and introduce possible investigations.