title: Diagnostic role of fibreoptic bronchoscopy in tuberculosis in the presence of typical X-ray pictures and adequate sputum.
abstract: Fibreoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) showed that of 82 patients who had 'typical' X-ray pictures of tuberculosis (fibronodular infiltrate in the upper lobe), 40 had active tuberculosis, 30 had inactive tuberculosis and 12 had non-specific fibrosis of undetermined origin. The remaining 16 patients with other specific aetiologies of the upper lobe lesions (e.g. carcinoma) had different X-ray pictures such as a mass or alveolar filling of lobar distribution. In communities with a high prevalence of tuberculosis FOB is therefore unlikely to reveal any specific aetiology (apart from tuberculosis) in immunologically competent patients who have 'typical' X-ray picture of tuberculosis. We document, however, that in sputum-producing patients with active tuberculosis, FOB was the exclusive means of diagnosis in 11/27 (41%), compared with 10/13 (77%) in non-sputum-producers. An immediate diagnosis was made in 22% and 38% of cases respectively.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: al-Kassimi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azhar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: al-Majed
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: al-Wazzan
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: al-Hajjaj
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Malibary
mesh_terms: D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology