[The role of bronchoscopy with a flexible bronchoscope in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis].

Bronchoscopy with flexible bronchoscope has been proved as a useful method that has been applied also in the diagnostics of pulmonary tuberculosis during the recent years. In order to evaluate its role and use at the Institute for Diseases of the Chest and Tuberculosis Golnik documentation of 51 patients treated during 1985 and 1986 was surveyed. Prior to the examination from all patients the sputum on Mycobacterium tuberculosis was obtained at least three times and it was negative. Aspirations were obtained from 40 patients and the diagnosis was confirmed in 21 patients by recovery from tubercle bacilli specimens (52.5%). Transbronchial biopsy was performed in 34 patients and it was positive in 27 (79.4%), out of them in 7 patients the biopsy sample of the lungs was bacteriologically (38.9%) and in 23 patients histologically positive (67.6%). By bronchoscopy with flexible bronchoscope the final diagnosis was confirmed in 40 patients (78.4%). Bronchoscopy with flexible bronchoscope as well as transbronchial biopsy have proved to be a successful method in the diagnostics of active pulmonary tuberculosis. It should be used in patients in whom the sputum smear for acid fast bacilli were frequently negative yet there is a suspicion of pulmonary tuberculosis.