What does bronchoalveolar lavage involve?

Bronchoalveolar lavage is a medical procedure that involves washing out the terminal airways and alveoli of the lungs using a saline solution. During the procedure, a bronchoscope is inserted into the airways, and a sterile saline solution is instilled and then suctioned back out, allowing for the collection of cells, microbes, and other particulate matter present in the alveolar spaces. This sampling technique is particularly useful for diagnosing infections, inflammatory diseases, and certain types of lung cancer.

The focus of this procedure is on retrieving samples from the lower respiratory tract, making the choice that indicates washing the airways with water, or saline in practice, the most accurate. Other options, such as injecting air, performing a biopsy, or taking a CT scan, do not represent the fundamental process of bronchoalveolar lavage and serve entirely different purposes in respiratory medicine.