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Sarcoidosis other diagnostic studies

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Roshan Dinparasti Saleh M.D.


Overview

Overview

The diagnosis of sarcoidosis requires a tissue biopsy, with the exception of rare circumstances which the clinical findings are highly specific for sarcoidosis. The evaluation of pulmonary disease in sarcoidosis patients relies on three major factors: pulmonary function, chest imaging, and symptoms.

Tissue biopsy

Tissue biopsy

The diagnosis of sarcoidosis requires a tissue biopsy, with the exception of rare circumstances which the clinical findings are highly specific for sarcoidosis[1]. It is ideal for biopsy to be minimally invasive and associated with the least morbidity. Thus, peripheral biopsy sites are preferred compared to visceral organs[2].When there is no evidence that a superficial peripheral site is involved by sarcoidosis, a biopsy is usually performed in organs which is very often the lung, because the lungs are involved in 90% of sarcoidosis patients[3].

different samples can be taken with a bronchoscope:

Transbronchial biopsy(TBB)

Endobronchial biopsy

Transbronchial needle aspiration(TBNA)

Bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL)

  • is a complementary test for the diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis[10]. BAL lymphocytosis(>15% lymphocytes) has a 90% sensivity[11]. BAL CD4/CD8 ratio is increased more than 3.5 in 50% of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis[12][13][14].

Extrapulmonary tissue biopsy

Granulomas can be detected in any organ which is involved by sarcoidosis[2]

When the diagnosis can be made without performing a tissue biopsy?

When the diagnosis can be made without performing a tissue biopsy?

in some clinical scenarios, the presentation is so specific that the diagnosis can be made without a confirmatory tissue biopsy[1].

Pulmonary Function Tests
References

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Judson MA: The diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Clin Chest Med 29(3):415– 427, 2008.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Teirstein AS, Judson MA, Baughman RP, et al: The spectrum of biopsy sites for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 22(2):139 146, 2005.
  3. Baughman RP, Teirstein AS, Judson MA, et al: Clinical characteristics of patients in a case control study of sarcoidosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 164:1885–1889, 2001.
  4. Poe RH, Israel RH, Utell MJ, Hall WJ: Probability of a positive transbronchial lung biopsy result in sarcoidosis. Arch Intern Med 139(Jul):761–763, 1979.
  5. Koerner SK, Sakowitz AJ, Appelman RI, et al: Transbronchinal lung biopsy for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. N Engl J Med 293(6):268–270, 1975.
  6. Gilman MJ, Wang KP: Transbronchial lung biopsy in sarcoidosis. An approach to determine the optimal number of biopsies. Am Rev Respir Dis 122(5):721–724, 1980.
  7. Shorr AF, Torrington KG, Hnatiuk OW: Endobronchial biopsy for sarcoidosis: a prospective study. Chest 120(1):109–114, 2001.
  8. Kieszko R, Krawczyk P, Michnar M, et al: The yield of endobronchial biopsy in pulmonary sarcoidosis: connection between spirometric impairment and lymphocyte subpopulations in bronchoalveolar lavage luid. Respiration 71(1):72–76, 2004.
  9. Agarwal R, Srinivasan A, Aggarwal AN, Gupta D: Eficacy and safety of convex probe EBUS-TBNA in sarcoidosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Respir Med 106(6):883–892, 2012.
  10. Meyer KC, Raghu G, Baughman RP, et al: An oficial American Thoracic Society clinical practice guideline: the clinical utility of bronchoalveolar lavage cellular analysis in interstitial lung disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 185(9):1004–1014, 2012.
  11. Drent M, van Nierop MA, Gerritsen FA, et al: A computer program using BALF-analysis results as a diagnostic tool in interstitial lung diseases. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 153(2):736–741, 1996.
  12. Welker L, Jorres RA, Costabel U, Magnussen H: Predictive value of BAL cell differentials in the diagnosis of interstitial lung diseases. Eur Respir J 24(6):1000–1006, 2004.
  13. Drent M, Wagenaar SS, Mulder PH, et al: Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid proiles in sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, and non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s disease. An evaluation of differences. Chest 105(2):514– 519, 1994.
  14. Winterbauer RH, Lammert J, Selland M, et al: Bronchoalveolar lavage cell populations in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Chest 104(2):352–361, 1993
  15. Baughman RP, Teirstein AS, Judson MA, et al: Clinical characteristics of patients in a case control study of sarcoidosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 164:1885–1889, 2001.
  16. Loddenkemper R, Kloppenborg A, Schoenfeld N, et al: Clinical indings in 715 patients with newly detected pulmonary sarcoidosis–results of a cooperative study in former West Germany and Switzerland. WATL Study Group. Wissenschaftliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur die Therapie von Lungenkrankheitan. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 15(2):178–182, 1998.
  17. Baughman RP, Winget DB, Bowen EH, Lower EE: Predicting respiratory failure in sarcoidosis patients. Sarcoidosis 14:154–158, 1997.
  18. Judson MA, Baughman RP, Thompson BW, et al: Two year prognosis of sarcoidosis: the ACCESS experience. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 20(3):204–211, 2003.

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