DIAGNOSTIC SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY OF PULMONARY CYTOLOGY - COMPARISON OF TECHNIQUES USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH FLEXIBLE FIBER OPTIC BRONCHOSCOPY
- 1 January 1980
- journal article
- research article
- Vol. 24 (4) , 304-312
Abstract
The accuracy of pulmonary cytology was studied in 224 consecutive patients being evaluated for lung cancer. The diagnostic yield of specimens obtained by various methods, including flexible fiber optic bronchoscopy (FFB), was compared. Among 69 patients with lung cancer, a cytologic diagnosis was made in 87%, including 73% with peripheral tumors. Prebronchoscopy sputa were positive in 50%, bronchial washings in 63%, postbronchoscopy sputa in 72% and bronchial brushings in 59% of the patients. In only 1 patient was the bronchial brush specimen the only positive cytologic specimen. Normal FFB and small cell undifferentiated cancer were found with increased frequency (P < 0.05) among the 9 patients (13%) with false-negative cytology. Among 155 patients with nonmalignant lung disease, 16 (10%) had false-positive specimens; this finding was significantly related (P < 0.05) to necrotizing pneumonia in 13 of the 16 patients (81%). The overall diagnostic accuracy of cytology showed 87% sensitivity and 90% specificity, and the predictive value of a positive specimen was 79%. In the absence of necrotizing pneumonia these values exceeded 95%.This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- A Prospective Cooperative Study of Complications following Flexible Fiberoptic BronchoscopyChest, 1978
- FROM EXFOLIATIVE TO DIAGNOSTIC CYTOLOGY A STATISTICAL EVALUATION OF PULMONARY CYTOLOGY1978
- CLINICALLY OCCULT LUNG-CANCER WITH POSITIVE SPUTUM CYTOLOGY AND PRIMARILY NEGATIVE RADIOLOGICAL FINDINGS1977
- TRANSBRONCHIAL BIOPSY VIA FLEXIBLE FIBEROPTIC BRONCHOSCOPE - RESULTS IN 164 PATIENTSPublished by Elsevier ,1976