A case of recurrent endobronchial tuberculosis: Specific pattern of recurrence resulting from bronchial stenosis
Akimasa Sekine Yoshiya Tsunoda Toru Tanaka Yohei Yatagai Shih-yuan Lin Takefumi Saito
Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization, Ibarakihigashi National Hospital
A 48-year-old male patient, who was previously treated for pulmonary tuberculosis in 2008, was hospitalized for suspected recurrent pulmonary tuberculosis in June 2010. Upon his admission, a chest CT revealed small peribronchial nodules in the right middle and left upper pulmonary lobes. However, during his initial treatment in 2008, the nodules had been observed in only the right upper lobe. Because the results of repeated mycobacterial examinations were negative, a bronchoscopy was performed. Bronchoscopic findings revealed a red and erosive right second carina and severe stenosis around the opening of the right B1. After bronchoscopic washing, the results of mycobacterial smear microscopy and PCR were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Based on these results, the patient was diagnosed with recurrent bronchial tuberculosis, which turned out to be multidrug-resistant. Pulmonary tuberculosis generally recurs at the site of the initial lesion that has the highest bacterial load. However, this case indicates that a recurrence of bronchial tuberculosis could be radiographically detected at a different site because of stenosis of an initially damaged bronchus.
Endobronchial tuberculosis Recurrence Stenosis Multi-drug resistant
Received 31 Oct 2011 / Accepted 10 Feb 2012
AJRS, 1(5): 418-423, 2012