This drawing shows a bronchoscope inserted through the mouth, trachea, and bronchus into the lung; lymph nodes along trachea and bronchi; and cancer in one lung. Inset shows patient lying on a table having a bronchoscopy.

Bronchoscopy allows a doctor to examine inside one's airway for any abnormality such as foreign bodies, bleeding, a tumor, or inflammation. The doctor uses either a rigid bronchoscope or flexible bronchoscope. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2505x3000, 662 KB) Public domain image from cancer. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2505x3000, 662 KB) Public domain image from cancer. ... The airways are those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, to get from the external environment to the alveoli. ... Tumor (American English) or tumour (British English) originally means swelling, and is sometimes still used with that meaning. ... Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. ...

History

A German, Gustav Killian, performed the first bronchoscopy in 1897. From then until the 1970s, doctors evaluated people’s airways using a rigid bronchoscope. Gustav Killian (1860-1921) was a German laryngologist, born in Mainz, and educated at the University of Freiburg-im-Breisgau. ...

In the early 1970s, Shigeto 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. Shigeto Ikeda (1925-2001) was a Japanese physician, regraded as the father of fiberoptic bronchoscopy. ... Optical fibers An optical fiber is a transparent thin fiber, usually made of glass or plastic, for transmitting light. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The lung is an organ belonging to the respiratory system and interfacing to the circulatory system of air-breathing vertebrates. ...

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. Rigid bronchoscopy also becomes useful when bleeding interferes with viewing the examining 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.

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Indications

Diagnostic Procedures

• To view 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

Therapeutic Procedures The airways are those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, to get from the external environment to the alveoli. ... Infection is also the title of an episode of the television series Babylon 5; see Infection (Babylon 5). ... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... The lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The lung is an organ belonging to the respiratory system and interfacing to the circulatory system of air-breathing vertebrates. ... Lung cancer is a cancer of the lungs characterized by the presence of malignant tumours. ... In medicine (pulmonology), a pneumothorax or collapsed lung is a medical emergency that can result from a penetrating chest wound or barotrauma to the lungs. ...

• To remove foreign objects lodged in the airway
• Laser photocoagulation, electrocauterization, or argon plasma coagulation of exophytic tumors, granulation tissue, or benign lesions such as papilloma, hamartoma, lipoma, and adenoma
• Laser resection of benign tracheal and bronchial strictures
• Stent insertion to palliate extrinsic compression of the tracheobronchial lumen from either malignant or benign disease processes

The airways are those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, to get from the external environment to the alveoli. ... A LASER (from the acronym of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is an optical source that emits photons in a coherent beam. ... General Name, Symbol, Number argon, Ar, 18 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 3, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 39. ... A Plasma lamp, illustrating some of the more complex phenomena of a plasma, including filamentation A solar coronal mass ejection blasts plasma throughout the solar system. ... The coagulation of blood is a complex process during which blood forms solid clots. ... Tumor (American English) or tumour (British English) originally means swelling, and is sometimes still used with that meaning. ... Granulation tissue is the tissue that replaces a fibrin clot in healing tissue. ... Papilloma refers to a benign epithelial tumor. ... A hamartoma is a common benign tumor in an organ composed of tissue elements normally found at that site but that are growing in a disorganized mass. ... A lipoma is a common, benign tumor composed of fatty tissue. ... Adenoma refers to a collection of growths (-oma) of glandular origin. ... A LASER (from the acronym of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is an optical source that emits photons in a coherent beam. ... The bronchioles are the first airway branches that no longer contain cartilage. ... A stenosis is an abnormal narrowing in a blood vessel or other tubular organ or structure. ... Endoscopic image of self-expanding metallic stent in esophagus, which was used to palliatively treat esophageal cancer. ... In medicine, malignant is a clinical term that is used to describe a clinical course that progresses rapidly to death. ...

Bronchoscopy - The Procedure

The bronchoscopy is performed in 1 of 3 areas:

• A special room designated for such procedures
• An operating room
• An intensive care unit

One will be given antianxiety and antisecretory medications (to prevent oral secretions from obstructing the view), generally atropine (Atropair, I-Tropine) and morphine (Duramorph, Oramorph, Roxanol), half an hour before the procedure. An operating theatre or operating room is a room within a hospital within which surgical operations are carried out. ... Intensive care medicine or critical care medicine is concerned with providing greater than ordinary medical care and observation to people in a critical or unstable condition. ... Anxiety is an unpleasant complex combination of emotions that includes fear, apprehension and worry, and is often accompanied by physical sensations such as palpitations, nausea, chest pain and/or shortness of breath. ... Atropine is a tropane alkaloid extracted from the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and other plants of the family Solanaceae. ... Morphine (INN) (IPA: ) is an extremely powerful opiate analgesic drug and is the principal active agent in opium. ...

During the procedure, doctors provide an agent such as midazolam (Versed) to sedate although one would remain conscious. Lidocaine may also be used to anesthetize the upper airways. Midazolam, (marketed under brand names Versed®, Hypnovel® and Dormicum®) is a drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... Lidocaine (INN) (IPA: ) or lignocaine (former BAN) (IPA: ) is a common local anesthetic and antiarrhythmic drug. ...

One will be monitored during the procedure with periodic blood pressure checks, continuous ECG monitoring of the heart and oxygen measurement. Monitoring is particularly important when the patient remains conscious during the procedure. A sphygmomanometer, a device used for measuring blood pressure. ... ECG may also refer to the East Coast Greenway Lead II An Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG, abbreviated from the German Elektrokardiogramm) is a graphic produced by an electrocardiograph, which records the electrical voltage in the heart in the form of a continuous strip graph. ...

The doctor inserts a flexible bronchoscope through either the nose or mouth either in the sitting or lying down position.

Once the bronchoscope is inserted into the upper airway, the doctor examines the vocal cords. The doctor continues to advance the instrument to the trachea and further down into the bronchus, examining each area as the bronchoscope passes. The airways are those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, to get from the external environment to the alveoli. ... Laryngoscopic view of the vocal folds. ... Windpipe redirects here. ... A bronchus (plural bronchi, adjective bronchial) is a caliber of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs. ...

If doctors discover an abnormality, they may sample it, using a brush, a needle, or forceps.They also may sample a large number of alveoli. Doctors can obtain a specimen of lung tissue (transbronchial biopsy) often using a real-time x-ray (fluoroscopy). The alveoli (singular:alveolus), tiny hollow sacs which are continuous with the airways, are the sites of gas exchange with the blood. ... A biopsy (in Greek: bios = life and opsy = look/appearance) is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... A modern fluoroscope. ...

After the procedure

Although most adults tolerate bronchoscopy well, doctors require that one remains under a brief period of observation.

Nurses watch closely for 2-4 hours following the procedure. Most complications occur early and are readily apparent at the time of the procedure. Monitoring continues until the effects of sedative drugs wear off and gag reflex has returned. If one has had a transbronchial biopsy, doctors will take a chest x-ray to rule out any air leakage in the lungs (pneumothorax) after the procedure One will be hospitalized if there occurs any bleeding, air leakage (pneumothorax), or respiratory distress. Gag Reflex is a sketch comedy collective with ensembles near Chicago, Illinois and Austin, Texas. ... A biopsy (in Greek: bios = life and opsy = look/appearance) is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... In medicine (pulmonology), a pneumothorax or collapsed lung is a medical emergency caused by the collapse of the lung within the chest cavity. ... In medicine (pulmonology), a pneumothorax or collapsed lung is a medical emergency caused by the collapse of the lung within the chest cavity. ... There are two forms of respiratory distress syndrome: ARDS, which is acute (or adult) respiratory distress syndrome or infant respiratory distress syndrome which is a complication of premature birth. ...

Risks

Although the rigid bronchoscope can scratch or tear airway or damage the vocal cords, the risk for bronchoscopy is limited. The conditions for which doctors use it are ongoing, life-threatening cardiac problems or severely low oxygen. The airways are those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, to get from the external environment to the alveoli. ... Laryngoscopic view of the vocal folds. ...

Complications from fiberoptic bronchoscopy remain extremely low.

Common complications include either heart and blood vessel problems or excessive bleeding following biopsy. A lung biopsy also may cause leakage of air called pneumothorax. Pneumothorax occurs in less than 1% of cases requiring lung biopsy. In medicine (pulmonology), a pneumothorax or collapsed lung is a medical emergency caused by the collapse of the lung within the chest cavity. ...

References

• Medical Encyclopedia - Bronchoscopy
• Aaron's Tracheostomy Page - Bronchoscopy

See also

• Endoscopy

Your Mom Has This Disease! You Might Too! Test Yourself By Jumping Off A Building And Go To Deadland Then You Were A Victim Of This Disease! Its OK You Would Have Died Anyway! :-) Endoscopic images of a duodenal ulcer Endoscopy means looking inside and refers to looking inside the human body for medical reasons. ...