ABSTRACT
Background: Sputum induction is a procedure used forpatients who have difficulty in spontaneously producingsputum. So we have planned to conduct a study to find out therole of sputum induction in TB patients to increase the yield ofsputum smear positivity in sputum smear negative pulmonarytuberculosis patients and the role of sputum induction intuberculosis suspected patients having cough withoutexpectoration.Materials & Methods: The present study was carried out in 50patients admitted with clinical & radiological featuressuggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis in the Department of TB& Respiratory diseases, R.N.T Medical College, Udaipur. Studyprotocol includes detailed history, clinical examination, routineblood investigations including ESR, chest x-ray, sputuminduction and smear study by Ziehl-Neelson staining was doneto all the patients included in the study.Results: Our study showed that the total numbers of caseswere 50, among which 40 (80%) cases were in the age groupof below 60 years. Males in the study are 31 (62%) andfemales are 19 (38%). ESR was elevated to more than 30mm/hr in 46 (92%) cases and less than 30mm/hr in 4 (8%)cases. Sputum production were absent in 40 (80%) cases.Maximum 30 (60%) cases had moderate disease, 14 (28%)cases had minimal disease and 6 (12%) cases hadfar advanced disease on chest x-ray. 30 (60%) cases had nocavity on chest x-ray and 20 (40%)cases had cavity.30(60%)cases had bilateral disease (B/L) and 20 (40%) caseshad unilateral disease (U/L) on chest x-ray.Conclusion: We concluded that the identification of smearpositivity through sputum induction method with 3%hypertonicsaline that allows sampling of the airways in a noninvasivefashion and is a less expensive approach than the techniquelike bronchial biopsy, bronchoalveolar lavage and gastriclavage.