[Treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis in Santakiskes tuberculosis hospital].

The authors studies 98 patients (82 males and 16 females) in 1994-1996. The patients were found sputum Mycobacteria tuberculosis (MT) resistant to two essential antituberculosous drugs: isoniazid and rifampicin. In 67 (68.4%) cases MT resistance was verified in other laboratories of the country. The examinees were 13 new cases and 17 had relapses. Sixty eight patients were diagnosed as having chronic tuberculosis. After multidrug resistant strains were identified, the patients were treated by an individual regimens by choosing adequate drugs from different groups. Twenty patients were operated on. Sputum conversion occurred in only 24 (24.5%) patients. In 14 of them clinical and X-ray lesion disappeared. In 74 (75%) good treatment outcomes were not achieved and MT remained in the sputum. There were statistically significant differences in the treatment outcomes among new, relapsing, and chronic cases (poor treatment outcomes were in 38.5, 64.7, and 85.3%, respectively). The surgical outcomes proved to be no better than those in drug-treated patients due to the incorrect definition of indications for surgery or advanced disease. The findings show that the outcomes were poor in chronic MT multidrug-resistant patients and fair results could be achieved in new cases of the disease diagnosed in time.