Patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) frequently develop pulmonary infections. In many patients with CGD, an accurate infectious diagnosis is difficult to establish due to the scarcity of organisms in pathologic specimens. This study assesses, in a retrospective manner, all procedural as well as diagnostic data in patients with CGD and pulmonary disease. The study assesses the utility of sputum, bronchoscopy (lavage and transbronchial biopsy), CTT-guided transthoracic needle aspiration, and open-lung biopsy in establishing either a definitive or presumptive pulmonary diagnosis. Data collection for the research project has been completed. The data have been entered into a comprehensive database in order to facilitate manipulation and analysis and are now being reviewed. There are a total of 50 patients for whom the clinical characteristics, radiologic, microbiologic, and cytopathologic results of pulmonary infections are available. To date, the microbiologic and radiologic data have been catalogued. Over 600 microbiologic procedures and 1,800 radiologic procedures have been reviewed. At the completion of the project, a diagnostic, evidenced-based algorithm will be available to aid in the diagnosis of pulmonary infections in patients with CGD.
