• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.640-643
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• 2001

A case of endobronchial tuberculosis with left main bronchial stenosis and atelectasis of left lower lobe in a 26-year-old female is reported. She had taken antituberclous agents for 9 months, but she complained of chest pain and coughing. Bronchoscopy revealed patency of left upper bronchus and bronchiectasis of left lower lobe. She underwent left lower lobectomy with bronchoplasty. After the operation she had significant improvement of pulmonary function. Although surgical treatment of endobronchial tuberculosis is controversial, bronchoplastic surgery can be an effective treatment of tuberculous bronchial stenosis because it relieves patients from symptoms by preserving lung functions.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.206-209
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• 2008

Tracheal tuberculosis is a relatively uncommon form of tuberculosis and can result in acute tracheal obstruction early in the disease course. This is a report of a case of tracheal tuberculosis with unusual clinical presentation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.495-504
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• 2004

Background : Bronchial anthracofibrosis is one of the main manifestations of lung disease that is related to woodsmoke inhalation, and it is frequently associated with various pulmonary diseases, such as tuberculosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of bronchial anthracofibrosis in patients with endobronchial tuberculosis. Methods : 63 patients, who were diagnosed with endobronchial tuberculosis using bronchoscopy, were included in this study. The patients consisted of 12 males and 51 females, having mean age of 59.5 years. The clinical features, radiologic and bronchoscopic findings between the patients with (37) and without (26) bronchial anthracofibrosis were analyzed retrospectively. Results : When the patients were older, bronchial anthracofibrosis was more frequent. The endobronchial tuberculosis, which was located at the right middle lobal bronchus, was more frequent in the patients with bronchial anthracofibrosis than in the patients without bronchial anthracofibrosis. In the morphologic types of endobronchial tuberculosis, patients with bronchial anthracofibrosis had more edematous-hyperemic and ulcerative types, while patients without bronchial anthracofibrosis had more active caseating. Conclusion : These findings suggest that the presence of bronchial anthracofibrosis can possibly influence the locations and morphologic types of endobronchial tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.5
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• pp.532-539
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• 2006

Background : The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis has been reducing, but endobronchial tuberculosis continues to be a signigicant heath problem. We performed prospectively bronchoscopy in patients diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in order to evaluate the frequency of endobronchial tuberculosis and its related findings. Follow-up bronchoscopy was also performed after treatment to evaluate the incidence of endobronchial complications such as stenosis and remaining lesions. Methods : From January, 1999 to December, 2003, bronchoscopy was performed on patients newly diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. Results : 458 patients were enrolled in this study, out of 699 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis from 1999 to 2003. 234(51%) had endobronchial tuberculosis. The frequency was 40.3% in males and 66.3% in females, The most common symptom was nonspecific cough and sputum, and the main radiologiy finding was patchy infiltration. The most common subtype of endobronchial tuberculosis was the edema-hyperemic form. The right lung was involved more frequently than the left, and the left upper lobe was the most commonly involved site. 58 patients underwent follow-up bronchoscopy and most of been cured without major sequels. However, 8 patients had a stenosis of trachea and main bronchus, and 6 patients had still had endobronchial lesions. Therefore the treatment was prolonged for 3 months. Conclusion : Endobronchial tuberculosis of pulmonary tuberculosis has been remained of high incidence. bronchoscopic and follow-up bronchoscopy examination needs to evaluate the incidence of endobronchial tuberculosis and its related findings and major complication despite of treatment.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 1995

Background: Endobronchial tuberculosis is classified into 7 subtypes as fibrostenotic type, edematous-hyperemic type, actively caseating type, tumorous type, ulcerative type, granular type and nonspecific bronchitic type by bronchoscopic features, and we make a prospective study to follow up how bronchoscopic findings change during treatment-course in each subtype of active endobronchial tuberculosis. Methods: We planned to do follow-up bronchoscopic examination every month until there was no significant change in endobronchial lesion, then every 3 months and at the end of the treatment in each patient with biopsy proven endobronchial tuberculosis from May, 1990 to August, 1993. Results: 1) This study included 66 cases, but bronchoscopic follow-up was completed as scheduled in 47 cases. 2) In actively caseating and edematous-hyperemic type, bronchostenosis occurred within 2 or 3 months of treatment in about 2/3 of total cases. 3) In fibrostenotic type, bronchostenosis did not improve in spite of the treatment. 4) In tumorous type, the changes in bronchoscopic findings were unpredictable because new lesions occured on other sites even 4 or 6 months after treatment in 2 cases and the size of initial mass increased 6 months after treatment in 1 case (among 7 cases). 5) Granular and nonspecific bronchitic type improved without significant sequelae within 2 or 3 months of treatment. Conclusion: It may be necessary to follow up the patient with bronchoscopy repeatedly 2 or 3 months after starting treatment in active endobronchial tuberculosis, and it is better to perform bronchoscopic examination at 6 months of treatment, especially in patients with tumorous type because there is possibility that new endobronchial lesion occurs. Aggressive therapeutic modalities such as stent-insertion, laser therapy or electrocautery should be considered to prevent bronchostenosis in cases with granulation tissue, fibrostenotic and tumorous types of endobronchial tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.161-172
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• 2002

Background : To Investigate the association between bronchial anthracofibrosis (AF) and tuberculosis (TB), and the clinical utility of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on bronchial specimens for rapid diagno-sis of active pulmonary TB in patients with bronchial AF. Method : Thirty patients (25 women and 5 men ranging in age from 53 to 88), who were diagnosed with bronchial AF by a bronchoscopic exami-nation, were enrolled in this study. PCR targeting the IS6110 segment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was performed on the bronchial wash fluid and anthracofibrotic bronchial tissue. The PCR results were compared with the bacteriological, histological, and clinical findings. Results : Eighteen of the 30 patients (60%) were associated with TB, nine of whom were confirmed as having active TB. The remaining 9 had a past history of TB. The sputum or bronchial aspirate AFB smear, culture, and histological findings were positive in 4 (13%), 9 (30%), and 5 (17%) patients, respectively. PCR of the AF tissue and bronchial wash fluid was positive in 5 (17%) and 11 (37%) of the 30 patients, respectively. PCR was more sensitive than the AFB smears for diagnosing pulmonary TB (22 % us 89 %, respectively, p<0.05). All 5 patients with positive AF tissue PCR results also had both histological findings and positive bronchial wash fluid PCR results. Of the 3 patients with positive PCR but negative bacteriological or histological results, 2 of these patients appeared to have active tuberculosis on a clinical basis. Conclusion: Although TB-PCR did not reveal an increased association between bronchial AF and TB compared with traditional methods, PCR on the bronchial wash fluid appears to be useful for the rapid diagnosis of pulmonary TB in patients with bronchial AF. TB-PCR on AF bronchial tissue itself did not yield additional benefits for diagnosing TB, which suggests that an AF lesion itself may not be an active or original site of the infection, but a secondary change of TB.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.147-158
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• 1996

Background : Endobronchial tuberculosis(ET) is known to affect frequently young female and serious complication like bronchial stenosis would occur if early diagnosis and treatment for ET is not performed immediately. But ET shows normal chest roentgenogram in about 10% of patients, and is often confused with bronchial asthma because ET presents clinical features like cough, dyspnea, wheezing in history and physical examination. The pulmonary function test(PFT) feature of ET is not well known, but when we consider the fact that ET is pathophysiologically different from bronchial asthma, if there is any feature of PFT in ET, and we know it, PFT will be very helpful for diagnosis and follow up of ET. Methods : We performed both PFT and bronchoscopy in 68 ET patients who visited Boramae hospital, and were confirmed as ET by bronchoscopic biopsy and were followed prospectively from November 1991 to March 1995. After history taking and physical examination, we performed chest roentgenogram, complete blood count, sputum AFB stain and culture, and also performed PFT before anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy. PFT was classified as restrictive, if only PVC was reduced below 80%, and obstructive, if only FEV1 was reduced below 75%. In the case of both FVC and FEV1 were reduced, PFT was classified as restrictive if FEY1/FVC was greater than 75%, and mixed if FEV1/FVC was reduced below 75%. We repeated the PFT and bronchoscopy for 68 ET patients who were proven by biopsy in the first month and sixth month after starting anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, and studied the feature and change of PFT of the ET and the relation between PFT and the bronchoscopic finding, and obtained following results. Results: 1) Number of male patients was 12, and that of female patient was 56, and mean age was $35.4{\pm}17yr$.(17-74yr). Clinical symptom was in the order of cough(86.8%), dyspnea(63.2%), fever(17.6%) and hemoptysis (10.3%), and the wheezing and stridor were audible among the 40 patients(58.4%) in the physical examination. 2) Hemoglobin level was below 12g/dl among 25 patients (36.8%), and WBC level was above $10,000/mm^3$ among 9 patients(13.2%) and ESR was above 20 among 46 patients (67.6%) and AFB stain and culture were positive among 50 patients(73.5%). 3) The dominant roentgenographic finding of ET was fibronodular feature in 35 patients(51.5%), pneumonic feature in 14 patients (20.6%), collapse in 11 patients(16.2%), mass-like lesion in 3 patients(4.4%), cavitary lesion in 2 patients(2.9%), and normal in 3 patients(4.4%). 4) PFT feature at the time of diagnosis of ET was normal in 16 patients(23.5%), restrictive pattern in 32 patients (47%), obstructive in 4 patients(5.8%), and mixed in 14 patients(23.5%). So restrictive pattern was the dominate feature of ET. 5) The PFT feature was little correlated with the gross finding of bronchoscopy, but the change of PFT during treatment of ET showed relatively good correlation with the change of bronchoscopic finding. 6) FVC(2.30L vs. 2.61L) and FEV1(1.74L vs. 2.06L) increased significantly (p < 0.01), but FEV1/FVC(82% vs. 83%) and PEF(3.45L/sec vs. 3.95L/sec) did not change significantly after 1 month of treatment (p > 0.01), and there was no significant change among all parameters during first and sixth month of treatment(p > 0.01). Conclusion : PFT may be useful in the diagnosis and treatment follow up of ET but further study would be needed to confirm it.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.793-796
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• 2010

Tuberculosis involving the central airway occasionally results in diffuse stenosis in the distal trachea and main bronchus. When the stenosis is more limited to the main bronchus, sleeve resection can be performed with high likelihood of a good result. Bronchial stenosis limited to 2 cm is considered favorable for bronchial sleeve resection. However, a longsegment stenosis may make sleeve resection difficult or impossible, and pneumonectomy or therapeutic bronchoscopy may be performed. An extended sleeve lobectomy is a procedure to remove more than one lobe using a bronchoplasty technique and its applications to the patients with locally advanced lung cancer were reported. We performed an extended sleeve lobectomy in a patient with tuberculous bronchial stenosis involving the right main bronchus, bronchus intermedius, right middle lobar bronchus and right lower lobar bronchus, and report this case with review of literatures.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.997-1000
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• 1996

We report a case of localized bronchomalacia which was caused by endobronchial tuberculosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.9 s.254
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• pp.622-626
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• 2005

Background: Non-invasive interventional therapy has been performed for main bronchial obstruction by endobronchial tuberculosis because of the risk of main bronchial reconstruction regardless of the pulmonary function. But, effects of the inteeventional therapy are attacked by arguments. This study was aimed at interpreting the risk and effectiveness of bronchoplasty for benign bronchial stenosis over the last ten years in our hospital by reviewing the results based on clinical progression. Material and Method: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records and out-patient medical records including 2f consecutive patients who underwent main bronchial reconstruction for obstruction by endobronchial tuberculosis. All of them had past medical history of anti-tuberculosis medication. They were preoperatively evaluated by bronchoscopy and chest computed tomography. Result: There were no incidences of postoperative mortality and signifcant morbidity. There were 2 cases of retained secretions but these problems were resolved by therapeutic bronchoscopy or intubation. All of the patients are still alive without obstructive airway problem. Conclusion: Bronchoplasty should be considered as one of the primary treatment modalities, if it is anatomically feasible.