Optical Biopsies Using Probe-Based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy for Autoimmune Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis.

Optical biopsy using pCLE can yield specific diagnostic findings, even in patients with mild PAP. pCLE images of affected areas in mild and severe PAP showed similar findings, indicating that the dysfunction level of pathogenic alveolar macrophages in affected areas is similar between both disease intensities.