[A case of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis treated successfully with repeated bronchoalveolar lavage and surfactant replacement therapy].

A 24-year-old woman who had suffered from pulmonary alveolar proteinosis for eight years was admitted to Jichi Medical Hospital with severe pneumonia. She was mechanically ventilated, and her condition markedly improved after repeated bronchoalveolar lavage with surfactant replacement therapy. This method was used because she had been resistant to the conventional unilateral lung lavage method for 12 months. During the bronchoalveolar lavage procedure, she became progressively hypoxic, but recovered immediately after the instillation of surfactant. The combination of bronchoalveolar lavage with surfactant replacement via a fiberoptic bronchoscope may be useful in treating other patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.