[Ultrastructural and radioautographic study of bronchoalveolar lavage cells in pulmonary tuberculosis in endobronchial laser therapy].

Seventy specimens of bronchoalveolar lavage were obtained from 30 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis during treatment with endobronchial laser. The lavage is shown to undergo marked qualitative and quantitative changes in response to He-Ne laser treatment: the proportion of macrophages goes up while that of neutrophils tends to a decrease. The laser is capable to induce metabolic and proliferative activity of alveolar macrophages indicated by RNA and DNA synthesis. Morphological alterations in the cells of the respiratory compartment suggest weakening of exudative-necrotic component of the inflammation as an underlying cause of laser efficacy.