[Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid--a new material in pulmonology].

Bronchoalveolar lavage is a new method of evaluating the inflammatory and immune processes of the human lung. Sufficient material are obtained from normal individuals to allow characterization of cells and proteins. Comparisons with lung biopsies show that these constituents are representative for the composition of the alveolar structures. With the use of lavage new insights will be obtained into the pathogenesis of interstitial and other lung disorders.