[Efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with the newly detected complicated destructive pulmonary tuberculosis].

A hundred and fifty-six patients with first detected destructive pulmonary tuberculosis were examined. 43.6% of the patients were found to have various complications: bronchial tuberculosis and exudative pleurisy were more common. All the patients received conventional chemotherapy. The studies have demonstrated that the efficiency of chemotherapy during the complicated course was less than in the uncomplicated one: closure of decay cavities was observed in 69.4% of the patients with specific lesion of the bronchial system, in 78.8% of those with a complication, such as exudative pleurisy (in 81.8% with uncomplicated course). In these groups of patients, cessation of bacterial isolation, as verified both bacterioscopically and culturally, was slower.