Heterogeneity of bronchoalveolar lavage cellularity in stage III pulmonary sarcoidosis

Three cases of stage III pulmonary sarcoidosis are presented. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) revealed normal cell differential counts in the right middle lobe of each patient, but high-intensity lymphocytic alveolitis in the right upper lobe. These findings suggest that BAL should be done in multiple segments of the lung to obtain a truly representative picture of the intensity of the alveolitis in stage III pulmonary sarcoidosis.