Tuberc Respir Dis.  1983 Dec;30(4):200-204. 10.4046/trd.1983.30.4.200.

Diagnostic Value of Flexible Bronchofiberscopy in Various Pulmonary Diseases

• KMID: 2528794
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1983.30.4.200

Abstract

The authors have performed bronchofiberscopies on 131 patients with various lung diseases at the Dept. of Internal Medicine, Chung.Nam National University Hospital during the period of August 1981-. May 1983. The results are summarized as follows ; 1) Among the 131 cases who underwent flexible bronchofiberscopy, 66 cases(50.4%) complained of hemoptysis and the most common cause of hemoptysis was lung cancer with an incidence of 50% (33 cases). The next common causes were pulmonary tuberculosis bronchiectasis 4.5 % (3 cases), pleurisy 4. 5% (3 cases) and in 22.7% (15 cases) the diagnosis was no obtained. 2) Among 131 cases in which bronchofiberscopy was performed, 60 cases(45.8%) were lung cancer, 13 cases(9.9 %) were pulmonary tuberculosis, 10 cases(7.6%) were pleurisy, 9 cases (6.9%) were pneumonia, 8 cases(6%) were lung abscess, 4 cases(3.1 %) were bronchietasis, 3 cases(2.3%) were bronchitis and in 24 cases(18.3%) no definite diagnosis could be obtained. 3) The sites of prevalence for bleeding were both upper lobes with predilection for the right lung with a ratio of 1. 2 : 1 (36 cases of right lung and 29 cases of left lung). 4) The diagnostic accuracy of bronchoscopic biopsy and cytology in the ~lung cancer was 95% and the histologic classification of the 60 cases of lung cancer were as follows; 39 cases(65%) of squamous cell cancer, 9 cases(15%) of undifferentiated cell cancer, 1 case (1. 7%) of adenocarcinoma, 3 cases(5%) of metastatic cancer and 8 cases (13.3%) of undetermined cancer. 5) The most frequent ages were 6th and 7th decades and the male-to-female ratio was 11 : 1.