A “bronchoscope” is a long snakelike instrument with a video camera and biopsy instruments on one end. It can be maneuvered through your mouth, directly into the airways of your lungs. Bronchoscopy is usually done to obtain a sample of deep lung mucous or lung tissue to help diagnose cancer, pneumonia, or other lung disease.

 
You will lie on a hospital bed for the procedure. Your doctor (usually a pulmonary specialist) will move one end of the bronchoscope through your mouth and throat and into your trachea (windpipe). Some patients cough or gag briefly when this is done. The bronchoscope is much narrower than your trachea, so you will be able to breathe easily during the procedure.

The doctor can see into your lungs by watching a TV screen that shows the view from the end of the bronchoscope. Your doctor can control a miniature vacuum at the end of the camera that allows him or her to take a sample of mucous from inside the lung. It is also possible for the doctor to take a biopsy sample of the lung tissue using a needle that can be moved through the camera. At the end of the test, the bronchoscope is pulled out and you might cough forcefully a few times, possibly coughing out some phlegm.

Bronchoscopy usually takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour including setup time. The camera is usually in place for less than 20 minutes.

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