BAL Constituents
BAL total cell count, % eosinophils and % neutrophils were not
significantly different among the VHI % sub-groups (Table II). However
categorical granulocyte patterns did vary significantly. The proportion
of children with pauci-granulocytic BAL was lower, 17%, in upper
75th %ile VHI % than it was in the the
25th-75th %ile (67%) and the
25th %ile (75%, p = .04).
In 13 children who underwent paired image-directed BALs, eosinophil
counts/100 cells (Figure 3) were significantly higher (p = .04) in BAL
from bronchial segments in lung regions with visible ventilation defects
(7 ± 9 %) compared to regions without visible ventilation defects (3 ±
2 %). There was no difference in the percentage of BAL macrophages,
lymphocytes, or neutrophils between lobes with and without ventilation
defects. There were no significant differences among VHI % sub-groups
in the presence of pathogenic bacteria or viruses (Table II, and E-
Supplement, results).