The Endoscopic Treatment of Parenchymal Tuberculosis

(A Pilot Study in the Human)

¹ Chief of Thoracic Medicine, St. Francis Hospital, and Consultant in Thoracic Medicine and Bronchoesophagology, Trenton General Hospital, Trenton, N. J.

1. A series of 18 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis of various types and degrees of severity has been treated by the endobronchial instillation of an oily suspension of isonicotinic acid hydrazide as a pilot experiment.

2. This study would indicate that, with this new portal of therapy:

a. The conversion rate becomes high and is obtained in rather short intervals.

b. Complete disappearance of the lesion, its improvement and cavity closure incidence is higher and shorter in time intervals than with conventional oral therapy alone.

c. INH in oily suspension endobronchially introduced has a pronounced specific lytic action on tuberculous foci.

3. The medication and the techniques described are safe and free from any detrimental parenchyma or constitutional effects.

4. The clinical and roentgen results appear to be permanent and not of short duration.

5. Lobar or multilobar drug saturation is proposed as a new concept in the chemotherapy of pulmonary tuberculosis.