Bronchoscopy

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Medical Author:

Sat Sharma, MD, FRCPC, FCCP

Medical Editor:

Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM

Medical Editor:

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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• Bronchoscopy Introduction
• Risks
• Bronchoscopy Preparation
• During the Procedure
• After the Procedure
• Next Steps
• When to Seek Medical Care
• For More Information
• Web Links
• Multimedia
• Synonyms and Keywords
• References
• Authors and Editors
• Read more on Bronchoscopy from Healthwise

Bronchoscopy Introduction

Bronchoscopy allows a doctor to examine inside your airway for any abnormality such as foreign bodies, bleeding, a tumor, or inflammation. The doctor uses either a rigid bronchoscope or flexible bronchoscope.

• A German, Gustav Killian, performed the first bronchoscopy in 1897. From then until the 1970s, doctors evaluated people’s airways using a rigid bronchoscope.
  
  
• In the early 1970s, Ikeda introduced the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope, which greatly enhanced the potential for the procedure. Since then, bronchoscopy has become an increasingly important diagnostic and therapeutic tool for the management of chest diseases. It is now perhaps the most common invasive procedure in the study and care of lungs. Doctors use it in these ways:
  
  
  • To see abnormalities of the airway
    
    
  • To obtain samples of an abnormality or specimens in undiagnosed infections
    
    
  • To obtain tissue specimens of the lung in a variety of disorders
    
    
  • To evaluate a person who has bleeding in the lungs, possible lung cancer, a chronic cough, or a collapsed lung
    
    
  • To remove foreign objects lodged in the airway
    
    
  • To open the spaces of a blocked airway
  
  
• Rigid bronchoscopy: A rigid bronchoscope is a straight, hollow, metal tube. Doctors perform rigid bronchoscopy less often today, but it remains the procedure of choice for removing foreign material and for several other treatments. Rigid bronchoscopy also becomes useful when bleeding interferes with seeing the area.
  
  
• Flexible bronchoscopy: A flexible bronchoscope is a long thin tube that contains small clear fibers that transmit light images as the tube bends. Its flexibility allows this instrument to reach the farthest points in an airway. The procedure can be performed easily and safely under local anesthesia.