The characteristics of patients with pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex disease diagnosed by bronchial lavage culture compared to those diagnosed by sputum culture

摘要

Background and objective: The utility of bronchoscopy for the diagnosis of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) disease has been reported; however, which patients require bronchoscopy remains unclear. Our objective was to identify the characteristics of the patients in whom bronchoscopy is needed for the diagnosis of MAC disease.