Bronchial collapse during bronchoalveolar lavage in horses is an indicator of lung inflammation.
Abstract: The bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) procedure can return variable volumes of fluid, possibly depending on the presence of bronchial collapse during fluid aspiration and on the severity of lung inflammation. Objective: We tested the hypothesis that horses with bronchial collapse during BAL are at higher risk of having severe lung inflammation. Methods: Prospective field study. Methods: Bronchial collapse was graded using a new simple scoring method (0, 1 or 2) during a standardised BAL procedure in the field on 131 horses with normal, mild/moderate or severe lower airway inflammation on cytology of BAL fluid. Results: Of the 131 horses, 37 (28%), 55 (42%) and 39 (30%) horses had bronchial collapse scores of 0, 1 and 2, respectively. There was a difference in collapse scores between all the BAL inflammation categories (P<0.001). Severe collapse had a positive predictive value of 0.95 for both mild/moderate and severe BAL inflammation, with a prevalence of 63% and 20%, respectively. The BAL fluid return volume in the horses with severe collapse scores was lower than volumes in the partial (score 1/2) and no collapse (score 0/2) groups (P<0.001). The BAL fluid volume was negatively correlated with BAL neutrophil percentage (P<0.001). Conclusions: Airway collapse during BAL is associated with airway inflammation and neutrophilia. Conclusions: During a standardised BAL procedure, clinicians can expect lung inflammation in horses that have bronchial collapse and bronchial collapse in horses with lung inflammation. Lung inflammation may be a contributing factor in the mechanism of bronchial collapse during BAL in horses.
© 2013 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2013-07-08 PubMed ID: 23662631DOI: 10.1111/evj.12096Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Airway Disease
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Study
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Treatment
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Equine Science
- Field Study
- Horses
- Inflammation
- Lung Health
- Neutrophils
- Pathogenesis
- Pathophysiology
- Respiratory Disease
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Procedure
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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This study suggests that bronchial collapse during Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL), a lung diagnostic procedure in horses, may be a reliable indicator of severe lung inflammation.
Study Introduction: Hypothesis and Objective
- The researchers based their study on the observation that BAL procedures often yield variable volumes of fluid. They hypothesized that this could be due to bronchial collapse during fluid aspiration, which may be related to the severity of a horse’s lung inflammation.
- The objective of their prospective field study was to determine whether horses experiencing bronchial collapse during a BAL procedure were at a higher risk of having severe lung inflammation.
Study Methodology
- A total of 131 horses were examined using a standardized BAL procedure to assess lung inflammation severity, ranging from normal to mild/moderate or severe inflammation.
- A new scoring method was introduced to grade bronchial collapse, scoring it as 0 (no collapse), 1 (partial collapse), or 2 (severe collapse).
Research Findings
- Among 131 horses, 37 showed no signs of bronchial collapse, 55 experienced partial collapse, and 39 suffered severe collapse.
- Significant differences were noted in collapse scores among all BAL inflammation categories, indicating a link between collapse severity and lung inflammation levels.
- Severe collapse demonstrated a high predictive value of 0.95 for both mild/moderate and severe BAL inflammation, with a prevalence of 63% and 20% respectively.
- Furthermore, horses with severe collapse scores produced lower BAL fluid return volumes compared to those with partial and no collapse.
- A negative correlation was confirmed between the volume of BAL fluid and the BAL neutrophil percentage, indicating more severe inflammation is associated with less fluid volume.
Study Conclusions
- The findings led to the conclusion that bronchial collapse during BAL is associated with an increased risk of airway inflammation and neutrophilia (increase in a type of white blood cells).
- Therefore, clinicians can anticipate lung inflammation in horses experiencing bronchial collapse during a BAL procedure.
- The findings also suggest that lung inflammation may contribute to the mechanism of bronchial collapse during BAL in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Koblinger K, Hecker K, Nicol J, Wasko A, Fernandez N, Léguillette R.
(2013).
Bronchial collapse during bronchoalveolar lavage in horses is an indicator of lung inflammation.
Equine Vet J, 46(1), 50-55.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12096 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Moore Equine Veterinary Center, Alberta, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Aging
- Animal Husbandry
- Animals
- Bronchi / pathology
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage / adverse effects
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage / veterinary
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / chemistry
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Inflammation / diagnosis
- Inflammation / pathology
- Inflammation / veterinary
- Lung Diseases / diagnosis
- Lung Diseases / pathology
- Lung Diseases / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Mainguy-Seers S, Beaudry F, Fernandez-Prada C, Martin JG, Lavoie JP. Neutrophil Extracellular Vesicles and Airway Smooth Muscle Proliferation in the Natural Model of Severe Asthma in Horses.. Cells 2022 Oct 24;11(21).
- Varegg MS, Kløverød KM, Austnes MK, Siwinska N, Slowikowska M, Zak A, Niedzwiedz A. The effect of single pretreatment with salbutamol on recovery of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in horses with suspected or confirmed severe equine asthma.. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Mar;33(2):976-980.
- Barton AK, Schulze T, Doherr MG, Gehlen H. Influence of bronchoalveolar lavage on thoracic radiography in the horse.. J Vet Sci 2018 Jul 31;19(4):563-569.
- Bullone M, Hélie P, Joubert P, Lavoie JP. Development of a Semiquantitative Histological Score for the Diagnosis of Heaves Using Endobronchial Biopsy Specimens in Horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Sep;30(5):1739-1746.
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