1. Added value of bronchoalveolar lavage and postbronchoscopy sputum in the diagnosis of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis among HIV patients in a tertiary hospital of an East African country.
- Author
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Musafiri, S., Giraneza, R., Dusabejambo, V., Rutayisire, C., Bavuma, C., Kalisa, L .U., and Manzi, O.
- Subjects
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TUBERCULOSIS diagnosis , *BRONCHOALVEOLAR lavage , *SPUTUM examination , *HIV-positive persons , *BRONCHOSCOPY - Abstract
The diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is challenging among patients infected with HIV. This study aimed to assess the incremental yield of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and postbronchoscopy sputum (PBS) in the diagnosis of pulmonary TB among HIV-infected patients whose sputum smear microscopy was negative for TB or who were unable to produce sputum for analysis. The study was a prospective study conducted between March 2013 and December 2014 and all patients willing to participate were recruited. They underwent bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage and when possible a sample of postbronchoscopy sputum was taken within 5 days after the bronchoscopy. Of the 115 HIV-infected patients who underwent bronchoscopy, pulmonary TB was diagnosed in 56 (48.6%) patients. Among 56 patients confirmed with positive cultures, 34/56 (57.1%) were positive both in PBS and BAL, 13/56 (23.2 %) cultures were positive only in PBS and 9/56 (16%) were positive only in BAL. The culture yield of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was increased by 12% using PBS samples and by 7.8% using BAL. The difference between BAL and PBS was not statistically significant. The study concluded that BAL and PBS are very useful methods in the diagnosis of pulmonary TB among HIV-infected patients who are smear negative or have dry cough. Strengthening bronchoscopy can reduced empirical treatment of TB especially among HIV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015