Implementation Rate of Bronchoscopy in Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis and the Incidence and Risk Factors of Concomitant Endobronchial Tuberculosis

Background: Bronchoscopy is a mandatory tool used to diagnose endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB); however, it is not routinely performed on all patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) because of the risk of exposure to airborne Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Early diagnosis of EBTB is essential for watchful waiting and treatment planning of residual bronchostenosis. Therefore, physicians need to determine the incidence of EBTB according to the implementation rate of bronchoscopy in each region and identify patients with PTB requiring bronchoscopy on initial evaluation. We evaluated the implementation rate of bronchoscopy among patients with PTB and assessed the incidence and risk factors of concomitant EBTB.