[Transbronchial biopsy in diffuse infiltrative lung diseases]

224 transbronchial biopsies were made between 1990 and 1997 in 208 patients suffering diffuse, bilateral, disseminated pulmonary diseases with unidentified origin. The examinations were carried out by flexible bronchoscope with X-ray control after local anaesthesia. The obtained patterns yielded mucous membrane in 15, intact alveoli in 19 percent. In 25 percent of biopsies (57 cases) definitive diagnosis were verifiable. The histological examinations verified the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, hemosiderosis, TB, malignancies, eosinophil pneumonitis etc. In 71 biopsies (62 cases) according to histological opinion were pulmonary fibrosis or some synonyms of these (alveolitis, interstitial fibrosis). From these latter cases the documentation of 18 patients were insufficient, but the data of 44 cases were available. 7/44 carcinosis, 3/44 inactive TB, 8/44 regressive X-ray patterns were verifiable in this group. The idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as final diagnosis only in 18/44 (41%) cases were established. Further diagnostic procedures are needed if the clinical data, the results of HRCT and histological examinations are not in correlation.