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.

medical physician using bronchoscopy to diagnose and treat patient

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.

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.
older male laying in hospital bed smiling off camera as he prepares for bronchoscopy

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.

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.

closeup of stethoscope on doctor's table as two providers look over bronchoscopy results

Frequently asked questions