M Khalid Ch, Shamshad Rasul, Zafar H Iqbal, Shahzad S Qureshi, Masood Ul Haq, Ghulam Hussain, A Majeed Akhtar.
Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy - Role in the Diagnosis of Bronchogenic Carcinoma.
Biomedica Jan ;14:32-6.

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy is increasingly used in the diagnosis of lung diseases. The present study has been performed in the Institute of Chest Medicine, Mayo Hospital, Lahore from June 1996 to July 1997 to evaluate the role of fiberoptic bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma. One hundred patients (83 men, 17 women, mean age 573 years) who had clinical and radiological suspicion of underlying malignancy were included in the study. All patients had bronchial biopsies, brushings and washings. The peak age incidence was found in sixth decade. Smoking history was positive in 83% cases. Radiologically, right lung was more frequently involved than the left lung (59 vs 41). On bronchoscopy endobronchial mass was the most common lesion found in 61% cases. The biopsy specimens gave positive results in 52%, brushings in 63% and washings in 8% cases, whereas the overall combined positive yield was 71%. The positive yield difference between bronchial biopsies and brushings was not significant (P > 0.05); but it was significant between bronchial biopsies and washings (P < 0.001) and also between bronchial brushings and washings and adenocarcinoma was more frequently found in women. It is concluded that for the diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma, an early fiberoptic bronchoscopy is desirable and to have maximum diagnostic yield, bronchial biopsy should be combined with cytology using brushings and washings.

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