title: Use of flexible bronchoscopy for rapid diagnosis of suspected tubercular cases in rural India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reaching a correct diagnosis is a challenge for physicians treating any of the 30% to 50% of pulmonary tuberculosis patients who have negative sputum cultures or who present with no sputum. Flexible bronchoscopy acquires special importance for these cases for whom empirical anti-tuberculosis therapy is the only option left. In our study we aimed to assess the diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy in patients, suspected to have tuberculosis, whose sputum smears were negative.
  
  
  METHODS
  In our hospital-based cross-sectional study, 42 patients were enrolled by consecutive sampling. Flexible bronchoscopy and selective bronchial washings were done in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bronchoscopy lavage smears were positive for M. tuberculosis in 10 (23.8%) patients. Fifteen (35.7%) patients had positive culture.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Flexible bronchoscopy has an important role in the diagnosis of patients suspected to have tuberculosis, whose sputum smears are negative or who can not produce sputum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest and Tuberculosis, Datta Meghe Institute Medical Sciences, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Sameer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singhal
authors.forename: Abhay M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gaidhane
authors.forename: Nazli
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khatib
authors.forename: Tripti
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hrivastava
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diwan
authors.forename: Satish N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Mahajan
authors.forename: Shilpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bawankule
authors.forename: Quazi Syed
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Zahiruddin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012424:Rural Population; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult