[Morphological diagnosis of chronic bronchitis in patients with tuberculosis of the lungs]

A morphofunctional insufficiency of the bronchial epithelium which is a pathognomonic symptom of chronic bronchitis, was examined in 105 biopsy specimens of the bronchial mucosa of patients with different forms of pulmonary tuberculosis by morphometry. It was found that epithelial changes typical of chronic bronchitis, were observed in 100% of the cases. However, 64.76% of the patients had Stages I and II morphofunctional insufficiency, which corresponded to the presence of chronic nonobstructive bronchitis. The epithelial changes traced in the remaining observations were characteristic of chronic obstructive bronchitis. The presence and the extent of morphofunctional insufficiency were not associated with the form of tuberculosis. The examination of biopsy specimens of the bronchial mucosa taken in the vicinity of the upper bronchus spur is considered to be an adequate and sufficient method of an objective detection of chronic bronchitis in tuberculosis.