The role of bronchoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary disease in HIV‐infected patients

Abstract

Background: Pulmonary disease is the most common reason for presentation and the major cause of death in HIV‐infected patients. There has been an evolution in the optimal approach to the investigation of a pulmonary infiltrate in HIV‐infected patients since the introduction of induced sputum for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). Aims: To evaluate the usefulness of flexible fibreoptic bronchoscopy (FFB), bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), transbronchial biopsy (TBB) and bronchial brushings (BB) in the diagnosis of pulmonary disease in HIV‐infected patients and to examine the effect of FFB on changes in therapy and survival. Methods: The histories of all HIV‐infected patients r..