Bronchial Lavage in Tuberculosis

1) During the period of 1945-1948, 2,414 bronchial lavages were performed in Cuba. This number includes 614 bronchial lavages done by the author with his own technique. Of these, 500 cases were carried out at the Furbush Dispensary and 114 at his private office.

2) In 45.4 per cent of moderately advanced cases, considered as cured and already discharged, tubercle bacilli were still found by bronchial lavages. X-ray films in these cases showed evidence of fibrosis only.

3) We found Koch bacilli by bronchial lavage in 17 per cent of moderately advanced cases considered as cured and already discharged, with negative x-ray findings.

4) In minimal lesions without expectoration, we found 90 per cent positive with bronchial lavage.

5) Ten per cent of contact cases without x-ray evidence were found positive by bronchial lavage.

6) In a group of 90 cases of bronchial asthma, pulmonary cancer and bronchiectasis, tubercle bacilli were not found by this method.