[CLINICAL STUDY OF 29 CASES OF ENDOBRONCHIAL TUBERCULOSIS].

[Background] Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) is defined as a tuberculosis infection of the tracheobronchial tree and is often misdiagnosed as bronchial asthma or bron- chitis owing to a lack of typical imaging findings. [Aim] The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical characteristics of EBTB. [Method] We retrospectively studied EBTB patients hos- pitalized at the National Hospital Organization Kinki-chuo Chest Medical Center (Sakai City, Japan) between January 2005 and April 2014. [Result] A total of 29 patients (8 men and 21 women) were enrolled in this study. The patients' ages ranged from 17 to 86 years. Cough was the most frequently reported symptom. The interval between the appearance of symptoms and an EBTB diagnosis was significantly longer than usual when there was an initial misdiagnosis of bronchial asthma. The most frequent finding of fiber-optic bronchoscopy performed after more than 1 month of treatment was a V-type scar based on Arai's classification system. [Conclusion] A misdiagnosis of EBTB as bronchial asthma leads to a significant delay in correct diagnosis and treat- ment. EBTB must be included in the differential diagnoses of chronic cough and airway constriction sound.