Bronchoscopy

Your physician may want to conduct a bronchoscopy procedure if you are having difficulties with breathing due to an airway or lung issue; if you have a chronic, unexplained cough; or if a narrowing of your airway is seen on an X-ray or CT scan. This procedure allows the doctor to take a close look at the structures within your throat, trachea, lower airway and larynx, to see if there is an obstruction or other abnormality that may be causing the problem. Depending on your medical issue and doctor’s preference, you may undergo a flexible bronchoscopy or a rigid bronchoscopy. In most cases, patients receive the flexible bronchoscopy, which employs the use of a narrow tube with a light at the end, can be done without the patient going under general anesthesia, and allows the doctor to collect a sample of tissue for biopsy. Cases in which a rigid bronchoscopy might be needed would include those in which bleeding has been detected in the airway, those in which an object such as a piece of food is stuck in the airway, or those in which the doctor needs to collect a larger tissue sample.