Bronchoscopy

A bronchoscopy is a procedure that allows a doctor to examine the inside of the lungs, including the bronchi, which are the main pathways into the lungs. During a bronchoscopy, a doctor inserts a thin tube containing a light and camera into the lungs through the nose or mouth. The doctor can use the findings to diagnose infections, tumors, or diseases in the lungs. It is a relatively quick and painless procedure, it requires little preparation, and people tend to recover quickly. In this article, we describe what to expect before, during, and after a bronchoscopy. We also discuss the uses of this procedure and associated complications. Share on Pinterest A bronchoscopy can diagnose lung problems. Doctors use bronchoscopy to detect the cause of breathing difficulties and lung problems, such as tumors, infection, and bleeding. During the procedure, a doctor may also insert stents in the airways or take a biopsy, which involves removing a small sample of tissue for testing. A doctor may recommend a bronchoscopy to: • follow up on a scan that has indicated a lung infection or • determine why someone is coughing up blood • find the cause of a chronic cough • discover the reason for shortness of breath • look for blockages in the airways • check for lung rejection, following a transplant • assess damage after someone has inhaled chemicals or toxic gases • take a biopsy Doctors also use bronchoscopies to treat certain conditions, for example, by: • removing fluid, mucus plugs, or...

At our National Cancer Information Center trained Cancer Information Specialists can answer questions 24 hours a day, every day of the year to empower you with accurate, up-to-date information to help you make educated health decisions. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with valuable services and resources. Or ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include: • Referrals to patient-related programs or resources • Donations, website, or event-related assistance • Tobacco-related topics • Volunteer opportunities • Cancer Information For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor. What is bronchoscopy? Bronchoscopy is a procedure a doctor uses to look inside the lungs. This is done with a bronchoscope, a thin, flexible tube with a light and a lens or small video camera on the end. The tube is put in through your nose or mouth, down your throat, into your trachea (windpipe), and into the airways (bronchi and bronchioles) of your lungs. Why do you need a bronchoscopy? There are a few reasons you might need a bronchoscopy: To find out why you are having lung problems This test can be used to look for the causes of problems in the airways of the lungs (such as trouble breathing or coughing up blood). You have a suspicious area that might be cancer Bronchoscopy can be used to look at an abnormal area seen on an imaging test (such as a chest x-ray or CT scan). An...

• العربية • Azərbaycanca • Català • Deutsch • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Gaeilge • Galego • हिन्दी • Bahasa Indonesia • Italiano • עברית • Кыргызча • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • Polski • Português • Русский • Simple English • Slovenščina • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • Türkçe • Українська • Tiếng Việt • 中文 The rigid bronchoscope is a hollow metal tube used for inspecting the lower airway. Massive Flexible (fiberoptic) [ ] A flexible bronchoscope is longer and thinner than a rigid bronchoscope. It contains a fiberoptic system that transmits an image from the tip of the instrument to an Flexible bronchoscopy causes less discomfort for the patient than rigid bronchoscopy, and the procedure can be performed easily and safely under moderate sedation. It is the technique of choice nowadays for most bronchoscopic procedures. Indications [ ] Flexible bronchoscopy plays an important role in the diagnosis, monitoring and therapy of certain pulmonary diseases. Diagnostic [ ] Bronchoscopy can be performed in a special room designated for such procedures, A flexible bronchoscope is inserted with the patient in a sitting or Rigid bronchoscopy is performed under general anesthesia. Rigid bronchoscopes are too large to allow parallel placement of other devices in the trachea; therefore the anesthesia apparatus is connected to the bronchoscope and the patient is ventilated through the broncho...

A bronchoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure used to diagnose and treat respiratory conditions. Bronchoscopy involves inserting a bronchoscope through your mouth or nose and passing it into your airways and lungs. A bronchoscope is a lighted, tube-like instrument with a camera for examining the inside of your airways. Bronchoscopy is only one method of diagnosing and treating lung-related diseases. Discuss all your options with your doctor to understand which choices are best for you. Types of bronchoscopy The types of bronchoscopy procedures include: • Flexible bronchoscopy involves passing a thin, flexible bronchoscope through your nose or mouth, down your throat, and into your airways. The bronchoscope has a light and small camera that allows your doctor to see and take pictures of your windpipe and airways. • Rigid bronchoscopy involves passing a wider and stiffer bronchoscope through the mouth. This larger bronchoscope can accommodate special instruments used for treatments. Treatments include removing a foreign body, inserting special Your doctor may recommend a bronchoscopy to diagnose and treat certain conditions of the trachea (windpipe), bronchi, and lungs. A diagnostic bronchoscopy allows your doctor to examine the lungs and airways and take a biopsy. A • Abnormal findings on a chest X-ray or CT • • • Chronic • • Lung • Lung bleeding including coughing up blood • Swelling or injury of the vocal cords, trachea (windpipe), or other airways A therapeutic bronch...

What Is Bronchoscopy? Bronchoscopy is a technique used to look at your air passages with a small camera that is located at the end of a flexible tube. This connects to a video screen for the doctors to view and take photos of your air passages. The tube also has a small channel to collect tissue samples from your lung that can be used in disease diagnosis. This procedure can also be done with the assistance of a How to Prepare You will not be able to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before the bronchoscopy. However, your doctor may allow you to take some of your medications. Please be sure to ask your physician how to handle your daily medications prior to the procedure. The sedative medicine used can remain in your body for several hours after completion of the procedure. You may need someone to take you home, since you will not be allowed to drive after being discharged. What to Expect? The doctor will explain the technique and potential risks prior to obtaining your signed consent. This is the time to ask any specific questions that you may have. A nurse will go over your medical history and medication use. An intravenous line (IV) will be placed to deliver any medicines during the procedure. Monitors will be placed to continually check your blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen level during the procedure. An oxygen mask or nasal tubing will also be placed to provide you with additional oxygen. You will be given sedative medicines and potentially numbing g...

• • A visual examination of the throat, airways, and lungs for signs of blockage and disease • • For people who have been coughing or feeling discomfort in their chest for unknown reasons • • A bronchoscope can also be used to obtain biopsies or remove blockages • • Involves pulmonology & sleep medicine, thoracic surgery Let’s say that you’ve been coughing or experiencing discomfort in your chest, but the cause remains a mystery. Your doctor might order a test called a bronchoscopy. This allows visual examination of your throat, airways and lungs for signs of blockages or disease. In this routine test, a physician slips a flexible device called a bronchoscope through your nose or mouth, down your throat and into your lungs. At its tip, the bronchoscope is equipped with a light and camera. The bronchoscope has been used by doctors for decades, but our physicians increasingly combine it with other imaging technology to gather more accurate information. “These additional tools can act like a GPS system to help us find a growth in the lungs, for example,” says Yale Medicine pulmonologist Jonathan Puchalski, MD. The bronchoscope can be used to visually examine airways and is helpful in figuring out the cause of abnormal “spots” or masses and other lung problems. A bronchoscope equipped with an ultrasound probe, called an endobronchial ultrasound, is used to used to obtain a biopsy sample to determine if cancer is present when lymph nodes are enlarged. Other probes use navigatio...

A bronchoscopy is an endoscopic medical procedure that is used to look inside the airways (bronchi) and the lungs. It involves inserting a bronchoscope —a narrow tube that has a light and a camera on one end—through the nose or mouth and guiding it down through the trachea (windpipe) in order to get an internal view of the respiratory system. It may be done to diagnose a disease or condition such as • A • • Shortness of breath or low oxygen levels • A suspicion there may be something lodged in your airways • An imaging test that showed a tumor or growth on a lung, scarring or other changes to the lung tissue, or the collapse of an area of a lung • Symptoms of infection in the lungs or bronchi that can't be diagnosed another way or require a special type of evaluation • Signs of rejection after a lung transplant • Inhalation of a toxic gas or chemical There are two types of bronchoscopy. The most common uses only a flexible bronchoscope and requires on local anesthesia and a light sedative; sometimes general anesthesia is necessary, depending on the length of the procedure. Less often a rigid bronchoscope, which is thicker than a flexible one and typically made of metal, is necessary. In that case, a patient must be under general anesthesia in an operating room. • An untreatable life-threatening heart arrhythmia • The inability to adequately oxygenate a patient during the procedure • Acute respiratory failure with • A blockage in the trachea (from a tumor or growth, for exa...