Merck Manual

Please confirm that you are not located inside the Russian Federation

Yes No

Leave this Site?

The link you have selected will take you to a third-party website. We do not control or have responsibility for the content of any third-party site.

Continue Cancel
Merck Manual
Consumer Version
The trusted provider of medical information since 1899
Health Topics & Chapters
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Home /
Quick Facts: Lung and Airway Disorders /
Diagnosis of Lung Disorders /
... /
Bronchoscopy /
IN THIS TOPIC

What is bronchoscopy?

What happens during bronchoscopy?

Why do doctors do bronchoscopy?

OTHER TOPICS IN THIS CHAPTER

Diagnosis of Lung Disorders
Bronchoscopy
Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT)

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

Test your knowledge

Orbital Cellulitis
Which form of treatment may be necessary for orbital cellulitis but not for preseptal cellulitis? 
Click here for Veterinary content
Click here for Veterinary content
Click here for Veterinary content

More Content

Loading
Quick Facts

Bronchoscopy

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Last full review/revision May 2019| Content last modified May 2019
Click here for the Professional Version
Get the full details
Topic Resources

What is bronchoscopy?

Bronchoscopy is a test used to look inside your lungs. After giving you medicine to make you sleepy, the doctor puts a flexible scope down your nose or mouth into your lungs. Through the scope the doctor can:

  • See where in your lungs any bleeding is coming from

  • Get samples of mucus to check for infection

  • Take a small piece of tissue to check for cancer

  • Remove a foreign body from your lungs

Bronchoscopy

To view the airways directly, a doctor passes a flexible bronchoscope through a person's nostril and down into the airways. The area in the pink circle shows what the doctor sees.

Bronchoscopy

What happens during bronchoscopy?

Before the procedure you're given medicines to relax you or sometimes put you to sleep. For your safety, you shouldn't eat for at least 6 hours before the bronchoscopy.

  • Doctors spray a numbing medicine in your throat

  • Doctors thread the small flexible tube through your nose or mouth and into your lungs

Doctors can do several procedures during a bronchoscopy, such as:

  • Push salt water into your lung and then suction it back out to look for infection or cancer cells

  • Take a biopsy (a sample of tissue to look at under a microscope) with forceps or a needle that's passed through the scope

After bronchoscopy, doctors will watch you for 2-4 hours until you're fully awake. If they did a biopsy, you'll usually have a chest x-ray to make sure you didn't develop any problems, such as a collapsed lung.

Why do doctors do bronchoscopy?

Doctors use a bronchoscopy to look for problems such as:

  • Bleeding in the lungs

  • Lung cancer

  • Lung damage from breathing in smoke

  • A foreign body that you choked on, such as a peanut

NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: Click here for the Professional Version
Click here for the Professional Version
© 2020 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA)
Sarcoidosis
Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT)
Others also read
Bronchoscopy Bronchoscopy
Lung Cancer Lung Cancer
Pulmonary Chemical-Warfare Agents Pulmonary Chemical-Warfare Agents

Also of Interest

SOCIAL MEDIA

test
iOS Android
iOS Android
iOS Android

Merck and the Merck Manuals

Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well. From developing new therapies that treat and prevent disease to helping people in need, we are committed to improving health and well-being around the world. The Merck Manual was first published in 1899 as a service to the community. The legacy of this great resource continues as the Merck Manual in the US and Canada and the MSD Manual outside of North America. Learn more about our commitment to Global Medical Knowledge.

View Privacy Shield Verification Status
View APEC CBPR Privacy Certification Status

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

© 2021 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA
TOP