We conducted a study on the diagnosis of pulmopnary tuberculosis at Chiba Kaihin Municipal Hospital.
Examinations were performed to determine the presence of active Mycobacteriumtuberculosis in sputum and gastric aspirate. For the sputum smear-negative cases, fiberoptic bronchoscopy was further used as a means for detecting the tuberculosis.
The results obtained were as follows:
1. A total of 114 cases in the past six years diagnosed as active pulmonary tuberculosis (including 88 primary treatment cases) were analysed.
2. The 114 cases consisted of 74 males and 40 females, the mean age was 49.3 years old.Categorically, the main age groups were: 60s, 24 cases; 30s, 21 cases; and 40s, 20 cases.
3. Chest X-ray findings: Cavitary cases were 28.9 %, GAKKAI classification of thesizes of the affected areas being Type 1 (mostly limited cases), 58.9 % of all total cases, and68.4 % in the cases under the age of 50 years old. The number of cases having infection in asolitary nodule was 19, and the ages of 15 out of the 19 patients were under 50 years old.
4. Sputum or gastric aspirate smear-positive cases totalled 37 (32.5 %), and culturepositivecases totalled 77 (67.5 %). Sputum or gastric aspirate cultures were positive in 52out of 56 cases (92.9 %) with extended shadows, GAKKAI classification Types 2 and 3, butwere positive in 25 out of 58 cases (43.1 %) with Type 1.
5. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy was performed on 49 out of the 77 smear-negative cases.
6. Definite diagnosis was obtained in 90 (78.8 %) out of total 114 cases.
The results of this study suggest that examination for active mycobacterium in sputumand gastric aspirate are very useful for the diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis, especially in extended cases.
