Objectives: To study the clinical and bronchoscopic characteristics of tracheobronchial tuberculosis (TBTB) in children and to identify factors influencing residual airway obstruction or stenosis.
Methods: The clinical data of children with TBTB were retrospectively collected. The children were divided into two groups based on the last bronchoscopic result within one year of follow-up: a group with residual airway obstruction or stenosis (n=34) and a group without residual airway obstruction or stenosis (n=58). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors influencing residual airway obstruction or stenosis in children with TBTB. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze the predictive value of the factors influencing residual airway obstruction or stenosis in children with TBTB.
Results: A total of 92 children with TBTB were included, and the main symptoms were cough (90%) and fever (68%). In children under 1 year old, the incidence rates of dyspnea and wheezing were significantly higher than in other age groups (P<0.008). Chest CT findings included mediastinal or hilar lymph node enlargement (90%) and tracheobronchial stenosis or obstruction (61%). The lymphatic fistula type was the main type of TBTB observed bronchoscopically (77%). All children received interventional treatment, and the effective rate was 84%. During one year of follow-up, 34 children had residual airway obstruction or stenosis. The TBTB diagnostic time and the initiation of interventional treatment were significantly delayed in the group with residual airway obstruction or stenosis compared with the group without residual airway obstruction or stenosis (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the TBTB diagnostic time was closely related to residual airway obstruction or stenosis in children (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that at the cut-off value of 92 days of TBTB diagnostic time, the area under the curve for predicting residual airway obstruction or stenosis in children with TBTB was 0.707, with a sensitivity of 58.8% and a specificity of 75.9%.
Conclusions: The clinical manifestations of TBTB are nonspecific, and symptoms are more severe in children under 1 year old. TBTB should be suspected in children with tuberculosis and chest imaging indicating airway involvement. Delayed diagnosis of TBTB is associated with the development of residual airway obstruction or stenosis.
目的: 总结气管支气管结核（tracheobronchial tuberculosis，TBTB）患儿临床和支气管镜下特点，并分析气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄的影响因素。方法: 回顾性收集TBTB患儿的临床资料，根据随访1年内最后1次支气管镜结果分为气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄组（n=34）和无气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄组（n=58）。采用多因素logistic回归分析探讨儿童TBTB遗留气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄的影响因素，使用受试者工作特征（receiver operating characteristic，ROC）曲线分析影响因素对儿童TBTB遗留气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄的预测价值。结果: 92例TBTB患儿主要症状为咳嗽（90%）、发热（68%）；<1岁组患儿气促、喘息发生率高于其他年龄组（P<0.008）。胸部CT常见改变为纵隔或肺门淋巴结肿大（90%）、气管支气管狭窄或堵塞（61%）。TBTB镜下以淋巴结瘘型为主（77%）。所有患儿均行介入治疗，有效率为84%。随访1年，34例患儿遗留气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄。气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄组比无气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄组TBTB的诊断时间和启动介入治疗时间均显著延迟（P<0.05）。多因素logistic回归分析显示TBTB诊断时间与患儿遗留气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄密切相关（P<0.05）。ROC曲线分析发现TBTB诊断时间取92 d是预测TBTB患儿遗留气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄的最佳截断值，曲线下面积为0.707，灵敏度为58.8%，特异度为75.9%。结论: TBTB临床表现无特异性，<1岁患儿临床症状更重。对胸部影像学提示气道受累的肺结核患儿应警惕TBTB发生。TBTB诊断延迟与气道闭塞或瘢痕狭窄发生相关。.
Keywords: Airway obstruction; Bronchoscopy; Child; Stenosis; Tracheobronchial tuberculosis.