ABSTRACT
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), today, is a useful and safe procedure that is
widely applied in the evaluation of interstitial lung disease (ILD) (1,2). BAL
is used for research purposes, as a diagnostic tool, and to determine the
activity of inflammation (3-6). It has also been hoped that BAL would provide prognostic indicators of disease progression; but this hope remains
largely unfulfilled.
