Bronchoscopic protected specimen brush and bronchoalveolar lavage in the diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia.

Despite marked improvements in antibiotic therapy, the accurate diagnosis and treatment of bacterial lower respiratory tract infection remain a challenge. The bronchoscopic protected specimen brush and bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage combined with quantitative bacterial cultures can provide sensitive and relatively specific information about lower airway flora. Both of these methods require strict observance of the required protocol, careful processing of the obtained specimens, and the absence of prior antibiotic therapy to obtain best results. These procedures are also of some utility in sickle cell acute chest syndrome, bronchiectasis, and in the immunocompromised host.