Diagnostic Accuracy of Gene Xpert on Bronchoscopy Washings in Patients with Suspected Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of GeneXpert assay of bronchial washing in detecting pulmonary tuberculosis in suspected TB patients with no sputum production taking culture of bronchial washing as gold standard. Methods: This is cross sectional study. Data was collected through structured questionnaire. Patients had bronchoscopy according to standard protocol. Their bronchial washings were sent for culture and GeneXpert assay for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Data analysis was done using SPSS 20 version. Results: From one hundred and seventy patients the age was observed as 16-60 years. AFB was detected by GeneXpert assay in 45.3% patients. AFB was detected by culture report in 47.6% patients. The sensitivity of GeneXpert was observed as 87.65%, specificity was 93.26%, and diagnostic accuracy was calculated as 90.59%. By using chi-square t-test, there was significant association found between GeneXpert and Culture report in both gender in all age groups with any duration of symptoms with p-value = 0.000. Conclusion: The GeneXpert assay was highly effective for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis in suspected TB patients who do not have sputum production. Key Words: GeneXpert Assay, Culture Report, Bronchial Washing, Pulmonary Tuberculosis How to Cite: Waseem A. K, Manzoor N, Javaid A, Musharaf M.S, Sohail N, Majeed N. Diagnostic accuracy of gene xpert on bronchoscopy washings in patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis. Esculapio.2020;16(04):33-36.