What are the types of bronchoscopy?
There are 2 types of bronchoscope: flexible and rigid. Both types come in different widths.
What is the most common indication for flexible bronchoscopy?
Respiratory infections were the most common indication of diagnostic bronchoscopy, with a total of 94 patients (47.5%) followed by lung cancer, with 34 (17.2%).
What is the difference between rigid and flexible bronchoscopy?
Flexible bronchoscopy is a more appropriate procedure to explore the distal airway, whereas rigid bronchoscopy allows more complete visualization of the proximal airway (poste- rior aspects of the larynx and trachea).
What is the length of a flexible bronchoscope?
There is also a 2.8-mm flexible bronchoscope with a 1.2-mm suction port that has the capabilities of the 3.5-mm scope and is therefore preferable in smaller children. Smaller, ultrathin bronchoscopes with outer diameters of 2.7, 2.2, 2.0, and 1.8 mm are now commonly used.
What is a flexible bronchoscopy used for?
Flexible bronchoscopy is a procedure that allows a clinician to examine the breathing passages (airways) of the lungs (figure 1). Flexible bronchoscopy can be either a diagnostic procedure (to find out more about a possible problem) or a therapeutic procedure (to try to treat an existing problem).
How many Bronchoscopies are given each year?
In the USA alone, >500,000 bronchoscopies are performed each year 23, and ∼15% of these procedures include bronchoscopic lung biopsy 24, 25.
What is rigid bronchoscopy?
Rigid bronchoscopy is a technique that visualizes the trachea and proximal bronchi. It is usually performed in the operating room under general anesthesia.
How long is NPO for bronchoscopy?
You’ll also be asked not to eat or drink for four to eight hours before the procedure.
How do you do a flexible bronchoscopy?
The bronchoscope is placed in your mouth or nose and moved down your throat and trachea (windpipe), into your airways. During your flexible bronchoscopy, your doctor may take biopsies (tissue samples) from your airway, your lymph nodes outside your airway, or your lungs.
