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Last updated: 11/24/2009
During a bronchoscopy, the physician can visually examine the lower airways, including the larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles. The procedure is used to examine the mucosal surface of the airways for abnormalities that might be associated with...
a variety of lung diseases. Its use may be diagnostic or therapeutic.
Bronchoscopy may be used to examine and help diagnose:
- diseases of the lung, such as cancer or tuberculosis
- congenital deformity of the lungs
- suspected tumor, obstruction, secretion, bleeding, or foreign body in the airways
- airway abnormalities, such as tracheal stenoses
- persistent cough, or hemoptysis, that includes blood in the sputum
Bronchoscopy may also be used for the following therapeutic purposes:
- to remove a foreign body in the lungs
- to remove excessive secretions
Bronchoscopy can also be used to collect the following biopsy specimens:
- sputum
- tissue samples from the bronchi or bronchioles
- cells collected from washing the lining of the bronchi or bronchioles
If the purpose of the bronchoscopy is to take tissue samples or biopsy, a forceps or bronchial brush are used to obtain cells. Alternatively, if the purpose is to identify an infectious agent, a bronchoalveolar lavage can be performed to gather fluid for culture purposes. If any foreign matter is found in the airways, it can be removed as well.
The instrument used in bronchoscopy, a bronchoscope, is a slender, flexible tube less than 0.5 in (2.5 cm) wide and approximately 2 ft (0.3 m) long that uses fiberoptic technology (very fine filaments that can bend and carry light). There are two types of bronchoscopes, a standard tube that is more rigid and a fiberoptic tube that is more flexible. The rigid instrument does not bend, does not see as far down into the lungs as the flexible one, and may carry a greater risk of causing injury to nearby structures. Because it can cause more discomfort than the flexible bronchoscope, it usually requires general anesthesia. However, it is useful for taking large samples of tissue and for removing foreign bodies from the airways. During the procedure, the airway is never blocked since oxygen can be supplied through the bronchoscope.
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Bronchoscopy can be performed via the patient's mouth (A) or through the nose (C). During the procedure, the scope is fed down the trachea and into the bronchus leading to the lungs (B), providing the physician with a view of internal structures (D). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
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Bronchoscopy is a technique of visualizing the inside of the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. An instrument (bronchoscope) is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth, or occasionally through a tracheostomy. This allows the practitioner to examine the patient's airways for abnormalities such as foreign bodies, bleeding, tumors, or inflammation. Specimens may be taken from inside the lungs: biopsies, fluid (bronchoalveolar lavage), or endobronchial brushing. The construction of bronchoscopes ranges from rigid metal tubes with attached lighting devices to flexible fibreoptic instruments with realtime video equipment.
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