Aspiration pneumonia other imaging findings

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sadaf Sharfaei M.D.[2]

Overview

Bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage is useful to obtain samples for gram stain and culture in patients with certain conditions, such as immunocompromised patients, ICU admission, or antibiotic failure.

Bronchoscopy is used in the diagnosis of pneumonia only in certain cases, such as patients admitted in the ICU, immunocompromised patients, or patients with treatment failure.^[1]
When sputum is not produced or not sufficient for evaluation, bronchoscopic sampling and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is used to collect samples for gram stain and culture.^[2]

↑ Mandell, L. A.; Wunderink, R. G.; Anzueto, A.; Bartlett, J. G.; Campbell, G. D.; Dean, N. C.; Dowell, S. F.; File, T. M.; Musher, D. M.; Niederman, M. S.; Torres, A.; Whitney, C. G. (2007). “Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Adults”. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 44 (Supplement 2): S27–S72. doi:10.1086/511159. ISSN 1058-4838.
↑ Pitchenik AE, Ganjei P, Torres A, Evans DA, Rubin E, Baier H (1986). “Sputum examination for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome”. Am Rev Respir Dis. 133 (2): 226–9. PMID 3484921.