What is a bronchoscopy?
A bronchoscopy is a procedure that uses a thin fiberoptic cable with a tiny camera to look closely at the inside of your airways and lungs. During the procedure, your doctor inserts a bronchoscope through your mouth or nose and then guides it into your air passages.
Your care team may order a bronchoscopy to diagnose or treat many lung and upper airway conditions. It can help detect infection, remove blockages in the airways, treat problems in the airways or take samples of an abnormal spot or nodule in the lungs to check for signs of cancer.
Types of bronchoscopy
Your specific type of bronchoscopy procedure will depend on your symptoms or treatment plan. The most common type is flexible bronchoscopy, but some conditions may need a different procedure. At several of our locations, you will have access to a robotic bronchoscopy procedure, which can increase precision and reach deeper into the lungs.
Your doctor may guide small devices through the bronchoscope to help with diagnosis or treatment during the procedure. You may also have a bronchoscopy that uses ultrasound imaging.
Flexible bronchoscopy
A flexible bronchoscopy uses a flexible tube with a camera that goes through the mouth or nose, down the throat and into the air passages. During this procedure, your doctor can see the inside of your airways in real time on a monitor.
Rigid bronchoscopy
A rigid bronchoscopy isn’t as common a procedure as a flexible bronchoscopy because the tube used is larger and less flexible. Your care team may choose rigid bronchoscopy if you have bleeding in the airways or lungs or need to remove something large stuck in the airways.
Navigational bronchoscopy
This type of bronchoscopy combines bronchoscopy with computer navigation and 3D imaging to guide your care team to nodules or masses in the lungs that are otherwise hard to access. It uses additional small instruments inserted through the scope during your procedure.
Robotic bronchoscopy
During robotic bronchoscopy, your doctor guides the bronchoscope using a controller and a robotic arm. You may have this type of bronchoscopy for hard-to-reach nodules and spots in the lungs. It gives your team greater precision and access to take biopsies deep within the lungs without a more invasive procedure.
Autofluorescence bronchoscopy
Types of precancerous or cancer cells in the bronchial tubes may not be visible using the standard light on a traditional bronchoscopy. Autofluorescence bronchoscopy uses a blue light to help better detect these spots.
What is a bronchoscopy used to diagnose?
Bronchoscopy allows your team to see inside your airways and take tissue samples, so it’s used to diagnose various respiratory conditions. Your doctor can examine your voice box (larynx), windpipe (trachea) and the network of tubes or airways in the lungs (bronchi and bronchioles).
It’s common for your team to take lung biopsies during bronchoscopy to help with your diagnosis. You may also have an endobronchial ultrasound during your procedure to provide real-time imaging guidance for difficult-to-reach areas of the lungs or nearby lymph nodes.
Some conditions that may be diagnosed with bronchoscopy include:
- Lung cancer, including cancer that has spread, known as metastatic lung cancer
- Lung infections, such as pneumonia
- Changes in the lung, like scarring or a lung collapse
- An unknown object in the airways
- Damage from inhaling certain gasses or chemicals
- Follow-up after a lung transplant
- Causes of a chronic cough, shortness of breath or coughing up blood
In addition to diagnosing lung conditions, bronchoscopy can be used as a treatment. Your care team can remove an object from the airways, treat small tumors, place stents, treat areas of bleeding or provide medications directly to the lungs.
How do I prepare for bronchoscopy?
Always follow your team’s specific instructions, but in general, the following will help you get ready for a bronchoscopy procedure:
- A bronchoscopy uses either sedative medication or anesthesia, so choose a support person to drive you to your procedure, take you home and stay with you as you recover.
- Avoid eating or drinking after midnight before your bronchoscopy.
- Ask your care team if you need to stop taking any medications, such as blood thinners.
- Let your care team know if you have diabetes and use insulin.
- Plan to keep any valuables, such as jewelry, at home.
The bronchoscopy procedure
Bronchoscopy is an outpatient procedure, and you can expect to be at your care facility for about four hours. This timeframe includes check-in, prep, procedure and recovery time. The actual bronchoscopy takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Your procedure time may be longer if you have additional testing during the bronchoscopy, like an ultrasound.
Your care team will walk you through each step of the process and answer any questions so that you feel comfortable throughout your visit.
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Before the procedure
After you arrive, you’ll change into a gown and get an IV. Your care team will attach you to monitors for vital information like your blood pressure and heart rate during the procedure.
Depending on the type of bronchoscopy you need, you’ll either receive sedation medications through your IV to help you relax or—less commonly—general anesthesia. With sedative medications, you’ll also have a local anesthetic medication sprayed or gargled to numb your nose, mouth and throat.
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During the procedure
During your bronchoscopy, your doctor will insert the scope through your nose or mouth and guide it into the air passages. From there, the doctor can examine areas using the tiny camera attached to the scope, take biopsies or perform other procedures.
A bronchoscopy lets your care team guide additional tiny instruments through the bronchoscope to assist with the procedure. During your bronchoscopy, you may also have imaging tests like ultrasound or X-rays.
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After the procedure
Following your procedure, the numbness in your mouth and throat will take a couple of hours to go away. Avoid eating or drinking anything until the numbness is gone and you can swallow and cough.
It’s normal to have throat tenderness, a cough or a low fever after your bronchoscopy. But if these persist or get worse, call your doctor’s office. Signs like severe chest pain or trouble breathing need immediate attention.
Understanding the results
Your doctor may review some of your initial findings immediately after your bronchoscopy. However, specific testing, like biopsies, will take a few days to be reviewed by a pathologist in the lab.
Your care team will work with you to plan your next steps. If your results are normal, you may not need any additional care. If you have abnormal results, then your doctor may diagnose specific conditions like lung infection, lung cancer or other lung disorders. You may undergo more testing to help confirm a diagnosis.
Frequently asked questions
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How long does a bronchoscopy take?
A bronchoscopy procedure usually takes 30-45 minutes but can last much longer, depending on the complexity. Your doctor can give you a more accurate assessment of the time involved. For check-in to recovery, expect your entire visit to last about four hours.
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Why would a doctor order a bronchoscopy?
Your doctor may order a bronchoscopy if you have symptoms of a lung condition or as a follow-up to a lung spot or nodule found on an imaging test. You may also need a bronchoscopy to get tissue samples or as part of your treatment for a lung condition.
Bronchoscopy is used to treat various respiratory conditions and can help your doctor detect infections, certain lung diseases, blockages, and cancer.
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Is a bronchoscopy considered surgery?
No. Bronchoscopy is an endoscopic procedure. These minimally invasive procedures use a thin fiberoptic cable tube with a camera, called a scope, to reach the inside of the body without making an incision. Endoscopy procedures usually don’t require a stay in the hospital.
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How long does it take to recover from a bronchoscopy?
The recovery time after a bronchoscopy is usually minimal. Your mouth and throat will feel numb for a couple of hours after the procedure, and you may have a dry feeling in the mouth. You may also have a sore throat or feel tired for a couple of days.
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Is bronchoscopy painful?
Bronchoscopy shouldn’t be painful. Numbing medication in your mouth and throat can help prevent pain. After the procedure, it’s common to have temporary soreness in your throat.