Bronchoalveolar Lavage
Pronunciation: brong-koh-al-VEE-oh-lar lah-VAHZH
Also written as: BAL — Bronchoalveolar Lavage
A diagnostic procedure in which sterile saline is instilled and recovered from a distal airway segment via bronchoscope to sample the cellular and microbial content of the lower respiratory tract.
Full Definition
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a cornerstone diagnostic technique in paediatric pulmonology, yielding fluid for cytological, microbiological, and biochemical analysis. The procedure involves wedging a bronchoscope into a subsegmental bronchus, instilling aliquots of normal saline, and recovering the lavage fluid by gentle suction. BAL is particularly valuable in immunocompromised children with unexplained pulmonary infiltrates and in the evaluation of alveolar haemorrhage, lipoid pneumonia, and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Editors should ensure 'lavage' is not misspelled as 'lavage' with an accent, and that BAL is expanded on first use in non-specialist publications.
Usage
Usage note: Expand the acronym BAL on first reference. 'Lavage' does not take a written accent in English-language medical text.
In Context
- "Bronchoalveolar lavage retrieved from the right middle lobe revealed lipid-laden macrophages, supporting a diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia." — Pathology report
- "The clinical summary incorrectly described the BAL as a 'throat swab'; the editor corrected the terminology to reflect the lower-airway sampling technique." — Editorial correction log