Aspiration of bronchial wash fluid is commonly used in conjunction with brushing and forceps biopsy to diagnose endoscopically visible lung cancer. However, the optimal sequence of these procedures is subject to debate. The objective of this study was to determine if the order in which bronchial washing is performed relative to bronchial brushing and forceps biopsy has any effect on the diagnostic yield.

A prospective, cross-sectional study was carried out on patients with endoscopically visible lung cancer who underwent video-assisted fiberoptic bronchoscopy for diagnostic purposes. Aspiration of bronchial wash fluid was performed on all patients both before and after bronchial brushing and forceps biopsy. The results were analyzed separately for each type of endobronchial lesion and for both together.

The study included 75 patients, with a mean age of 63.3 years; 81% were men. Bronchoscopy was diagnostic in 71 (94.7%) cases. Findings from bronchial washing fluid were positive in 40 (53.3%) patients when washing was performed prior to brushing and forceps biopsy; when washing was performed after these procedures, findings were positive in 43 (57.3%) patients (P=.6). The combined diagnostic yield of washing before and after brushing and forceps biopsy was 69.3%, a significantly better result than either washing before (P=.001) or after (P=.004) the other sampling techniques. In cases where findings from washing done after brushing and forceps biopsy were negative (14 of 32, 43.7%), blood in the aspirated sample interfered with cytology. In comparison, when washing was performed prior to brushing and biopsy, that problem arose in only 3 of the 35 cases (8.5%) (P=.002).

The order in which bronchial washing is performed in relation to other sampling techniques for diagnosing bronchial tumors does not influence the diagnostic yield. This is probably because the aspirated fluid sample is more likely to contain excessive blood when washing is performed after brushing and forceps biopsy. However, the diagnostic yield can be significantly increased by combining the findings from bronchial washings performed both before and after other sample collection procedures.

Además del cepillado y de la biopsia bronquiales, el aspirado bronquial (AB) es una técnica utilizada habitualmente en el diagnóstico del cáncer de pulmón endoscópicamente visible. Existe controversia sobre el momento adecuado para su realización. El objetivo del presente estudio ha sido evaluar si el momento de la realización del AB puede influir en el rendimiento diagnóstico.

Se ha llevado a cabo un estudio transversal prospectivo, en el que se incluyó a pacientes con carcinomas broncogénicos endoscópicamente visibles a los que se hizo una videofibrobroncoscopia con fines diagnósticos. A todos se les realizaba AB previo y tras el cepillado y la biopsia bronquiales. El resultado se analizó de forma global y para cada tipo de lesión endobronquial.

Se incluyó a 75 pacientes con una edad media de 63,3 años siendo el 81 % varones. La broncoscopia fue diagnóstica en 71 (94,7%). El AB previo fue positivo en 40 pacientes (53,3%) y el posterior en 43 (57,3%) (p = 0,6). La rentabilidad conjunta de ambos fue del 69,3%, significativamente superior a la del AB previo (p = 0,001) y la del AB posterior (p = 0,004) por separado. En el 43,7% de los casos en que el AB posterior fue negativo, la valoración citológica se vio dificultada por ser muy hemática, frente al 8,5% de los AB previos negativos (p = 0,002).

El orden de la realización del AB en el diagnóstico de neoplasias bronquiales no influye en el rendimiento diagnóstico, probablemente por la mayor frecuencia de AB hemorrágicos que se producen cuando el AB se realiza tras el cepillado y la biopsia bronquiales. El estudio conjunto de ambos AB incrementa significativamente el rendimiento diagnóstico de la técnica.