Thoracic Research and Practice
Original Article

Is Induced Sputum A Useful Noninvasive Tool in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis?

1.

Clinic of Pulmonary Medicine, Kyrenia Akçiçek National Hospital, Cyprus

2.

Clinic of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

3.

Institute of Pulmonary Diseases, National Laboratory Service for ILD, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel

4.

Department of Microbiology, Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

5.

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Thorac Res Pract 2019; 20: 248-252
DOI: 10.5152/TurkThoracJ.2018.180147
Read: 1452 Downloads: 719 Published: 25 September 2019

OBJECTIVES: In patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, the provocation of sputum expectoration through the inhalation of hypertonic saline has been investigated as an alternative diagnostic tool for invasive procedures. We aimed to assess the diagnostic value of induced sputum (IS) by observing its cell distribution in patients with a confirmed histopathological diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, we compared the IS results of 20 patients with a histopathologically confirmed pulmonary sarcoidosis diagnosis and 24 healthy volunteers. The percentages of macrophages, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils in IS and the CD4/CD8 ratio were compared.

RESULTS: The percentage of lymphocytes in IS was significantly higher in the pulmonary sarcoidosis patients compared to the control group (41.6% vs 8.9%, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in the other IS cell percentages and CD4+/CD8+ ratio between the groups. Sputum induction was well tolerated.
 

CONCLUSION: Sputum induced by the inhalation of hypertonic saline is a safe, inexpensive, less invasive, and easily repeated method and can be a valuable alternative to other invasive methods in the diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Cite this article as: Baha A, Yıldırım F, Stark M, et al. Is Induced Sputum A Useful Noninvasive Tool in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis? Turk Thorac J 2019; 20(4): 248-52.

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