Diagnostic performance and safety of bronchoalveolar lavage in thrombocytopenic haematological patients for aspergillosis diagnosis: a monocentric, retrospective experience.

Conclusions: BAL was a safe procedure also in thrombocytopenic patients, permitting an IPA diagnosis not otherwise identifiable using EORTC/MSG criteria. Our data suggest that a BAL GM value of>0.8 represents the most useful cut-off in terms of sensibility and specificity. Further prospective studies on a larger number of patients are needed to confirm these results.
Source: Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases - Category: Hematology Source Type: research