Bronchoscopy

Bronchoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that allows your doctor to view your airways through a thin, lighted tube (bronchoscope).

It is used in the diagnosis and treatment of lung conditions, including cancer and asthma.

The bronchoscope is inserted through the nose or mouth, then moved down the throat into the airways. A flexible or rigid bronchoscope may be used.

What is bronchoscopy?

Bronchoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that allows us to view your airways through a thin, lighted tube (bronchoscope).

The bronchoscope is inserted through the nose or mouth, then moved down the throat into the airways. A flexible or rigid bronchoscope may be used.

Why you might need it

If you have a cough that won’t go away, trouble breathing or something unusual shows up on an X-ray, a bronchoscopy helps us determine what’s causing it. It’s a quick and safe way to look for and treat problems like asthma, blockages, infections or cancer. 

Types of Bronchoscopy Procedures 

A flexible bronchoscope is the most common procedure. It can be used to explore smaller airways (bronchioles) or small air tubes that carry air deep into your lungs to the air sacs where oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide.

Robotic bronchoscopy is an advanced bronchoscopy that is assisted by precision robotics and enhanced imaging, making it easier to treat hard-to-reach areas.

The flexible scope also may be used to insert a breathing tube, take tissue samples for a biopsy and move medicine into the lungs.

A rigid bronchoscope is a straight tube used only in the larger airways (bronchi) or the main airways that bring oxygen in and carbon dioxide out of the lungs.

What does it treat 

Bronchoscopy may be performed to diagnose and treat tumors and infections, remove blockages of the airways, collect tissue and fluid samples or assist breathing with stent placement.

Common bronchoscopy procedures include:

• Bronchial thermoplasty
• Endobronchial bronchoscopy (EBUS)
• Electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy
• Thoracentesis
• Chest tube insertion

What to Expect 

Before the procedure, you will be given sedatives, and general anesthesia might be required.

Oxygen will be administered through a mask or nasal tube.

If you have the procedure as an outpatient, you will need to arrange for someone to drive you home.