Thoracic Research and Practice
Original Article

The Diagnostic Role of Gastric Aspiration in Cases without Sputum and in Smear - Negative Patients with Suspected Pulmonary Tuberculosis

1.

Atatürk Chest Disease and Chest Surgery Education and Research Hospital, Departments of Chest Diseases, Ankara, Turkey

2.

Süreyyapaşa Chest Disease and Chest Surgery Education and Research Hospital, Departments of Chest Diseases, Istanbul, Turkey

Thorac Res Pract 2006; 7: Turkish Respiratory Journal 124-171
Read: 480 Downloads: 255 Published: 13 October 2021

Setting: Tuberculosis clinic of a chest disease and chest surgery edu­cation and research hospital. Objective: Determination of the reliability of acid-fast stain and culture of gastric aspiration in diagnosis of pa­tients who cannot expectorate sputum and in smear-negative patients.

Design: 1115 patients were hospitalized for pulmonary tuberculosis between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2003. From these patients, results of gastric aspiration of 55 patients who had clinical and radio­logical evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis without sputum complaint and 60 smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis cases were evaluated retrospectively from the laboratory records.

Results: Of 55 patients with no sputum, gastric aspiration smears were positive in 17 (30.9%) and gastric aspiration cultures were positive in 24 (43.6%) patients. Twenty-nine (52.7%) patients had either positive acid-fast stain or cul­ture. Of the 60 smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis patients, gas­tric aspiration smears were positive for acid-fast bacilli in 14 (23.3%) and gastric aspiration cultures were positive in 10 (16.7%) patients. Nineteen (31.7%) of the gastric aspiration specimens were positive for acid-fast bacilli on either smear or culture.

Conclusion: Examina­tion of gastric aspiration for acid-fast bacilli is an important diagnostic tool for smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis patients or in patients with the suspicion of pulmonary tuberculosis who cannot expectorate sputum.

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EISSN 2979-9139