In summary, BAL should be considered as a diagnostic alternative in many patients for whom open lung biopsy is considered. In the proper clinical setting, several disorders may be adequately confirmed or diagnosed by BAL, with or without transbronchial biopsy, avoiding the morbidity and mortality associated with open lung biopsy. Again in the immune-compromised host with diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, BAL is often the initial procedure of choice. In the future BAL will likely gain a more prominent role in the staging of interstitial and occupational lung diseases, as larger prospective studies are concluded.
