Number of counting cells and cytospins selection influences on bronchoalveolar lavage cell profiles.

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cells count provides information about presence or absence of interstitial lung diseases. BAL fluid samples were taken from 50 patients hospitalized in University Hospital for Lung Diseases "Jordanovac" in Zagreb, Croatia. The samples of BAL fluid were prepared by cytocentrifuge. From each sample two cytospin were selected (C1 and C2) and after determing adequacy, counted up to 200 and 400 cells. After air drying, samples were stained according to May Grünwald Giemsa (MGG). Cells were counted by light microscope at magnification of 400x. Obtained results were analyzed in Statistics version 6 and Med Calc. Results for bronchial epithelial cells, alveolar macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophilic granulocytes showed insignificant statistical differences between groups (p > 0.05). Eosinophils percentages showed borderline insignificant statistical difference between groups of these cells (p = 0.052.). As it was exemplificated, the percentages of differentiated cells do not significant differ according to differentiation on 200 and 400 cells and cytospin selection.