What factors do you consider when determining whether to perform a biopsy for the diagnosis of organizing pneumonia?  

If there are known risk factors such as autoimmune disease, biopsy is usually not necessary in that circumstance. If it's truly cryptogenic in nature, or the appearance on CT imaging is not typical, then biopsy can be helpful. Direct tissue sampling also increases the yield for culture in case it is...

Consider performing bronchoalveolar lavage if biopsy is not feasible. A screen for chronic infection, such as MAI, would be good to do before committing the person to a prolonged course of immunosuppression. Bronchoscopic cryobiopsy may be considered in the setting of an experienced bronchoscopist c...