Bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage in the evaluation of pulmonary complications of bone marrow transplantation in children.

Pulmonary complications are a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality following bone marrow transplantation. We examined the results of flexible bronchoscopy (FB) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in 27 pediatric bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients with 29 episodes of pulmonary complications. Bone marrow transplant was performed for a variety of malignancies and hematologic disorders. Median age of BMT was 10.3 years (range, 1.7-17.6 years). Median time of FB following BMT was 60 days (range, 11-1,026 days). Routine cytologic and culture techniques were utilized to detect malignant cells, viruses, fungi, bacteria, and protozoa. Positive results were found in 15 (52%) with cytomegalovirus (CMV), the most common positive finding. In 14 (48%) episodes the results were negative. Fourteen patients had follow-up autopsy or open lung biopsy (OLB). Based on autopsy/OLB results, there were two false negatives and no false positives, giving a diagnostic sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 100%. There was one possible complication of FB and BAL. Survival of both positive and negative patients was poor, only seven patients being alive 90 days post-FB with BAL. We conclude that FB with BAL is a safe and accurate procedure for the diagnosis of pulmonary complications of BMT.