Bronchoscopy is a technique for viewing the interior of the airways. Using sophisticated flexible fiber optic instruments, doctors are able to explore the trachea, main stem bronchi, and some of the small bronchi. In children, this procedure may be used to remove foreign objects that have been inhaled. In adults, the procedure is most often used to take samples (biopsy) of suspicious lesions and for culturing specific areas in the lung.
Review Date:
7/4/2011 Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. |