Ultrastructural and radioautographic study of bronchoalveolar lavage cells in pulmonary tuberculosis in endobronchial laser therapy
Polosukhin, V.V.; Egunova, S.M.; Chuvakin, S.G.
Problemy Tuberkuleza 5: 37-41
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0032-9533 PMID: 8295885 Document Number: 410329
Seventy specimens of bronchoalveolar lavage were obtained from 30 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis during treatment with endobronchial laser. The lavage is shown to undergo marked qualitative and quantitative changes in response to He-Ne laser treatment: the proportion of macrophages goes up while that of neutrophils tends to a decrease. The laser is capable to induce metabolic and proliferative activity of alveolar macrophages indicated by RNA and DNA synthesis. Morphological alterations in the cells of the respiratory compartment suggest weakening of exudative-necrotic component of the inflammation as an underlying cause of laser efficacy.