Abstract
In order to determine if the diagnosis yield of the transbronchial lung biopsy in sarcoidosis is dependent upon the number of biopsies, a study was designed to examine individual specimens from 6 biopsies in patients with Stage II sarcoidosis. It was found that the probability of obtaining a positive specimen per biopsy was 46%, and this percentage remained constant for each biopsy. The diagnostic yield followed a logarithmic curve, gradually increasing from 1 through 4 biopsies until about 90% of true positive diagnoses were obtained, then approaching a plateau with successive biopsies. We therefore recommend that 4 transbronchial lung biopsies are sufficient to diagnose stage II sarcoidosis in the majority of patients with diffuse lung disease.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 721-724 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | American Review of Respiratory Disease |
Volume | 122 |
Issue number | 5 I |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 1980 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine