Explanation

A bronchoscopy is when a doctor looks inside your lungs, trachea and bronchi using a bronchoscope. A bronchoscope is a long thin tube about the width of a pencil with a camera and a light on the end. 'Scopy' means looking so bronchoscopy means looking inside the bronchi.

Why do I need one?

There are two different types of bronchoscopy. One is called flexible bronchoscopy and one is called rigid bronchoscopy and they are used for different things.

Your doctor may decide to use a flexible bronchoscope if you are having problems with your throat or lungs that the doctor can't explain with more simple tests. You will usually have one if you are coughing up blood, or just coughing a lot or if you have had a chest x-ray and the doctor wants to look closer at something in the photo.

A rigid bronchoscope is not used as much, but it is usually used if you have breathed in something you shouldn't have and the doctor needs to remove it like a peanut.

What happens before I have it?

Your doctor will tell you how to prepare for a bronchoscopy and it is important that you follow his or her instructions carefully. Make sure that you don't eat or drink anything for a few hours before your test - your doctor will tell you exactly how long for but it is normally between 2-4 hours.

You should tell your doctor about any allergies you know you have or any illnesses you have or have had in the past. You should also tell your doctor about any medicines that you take including medicines you got without a prescription. You will usually be able to keep taking these as normal but it's important to check with your doctor.

It's also very important that you tell your doctor or the person doing the bronchoscopy if you have any loose teeth because it might be dangerous if they are knocked out during your test.

Make sure that you have someone with you to take you home after the test. It's important that you don't take the bus or try to walk home alone!

How is it done?

If you are having a flexible bronchoscopy, a bronchoscopist - a specialist doctor for bronchoscopy - will first spray some anaesthetic into your nose and throat to numb them. This might taste a bit yuck but it will make you feel more comfortable during the test. He or she may also give you an injection of some medicine to help you relax and feel sleepy. If you have this you might not remember most of the test. Sometimes your doctor might give you a general anaesthetic to make you go completely to sleep while he or she does the test.

The doctor will then connect you to a monitor that checks your heart rate and blood pressure, and may also clip a small machine called a pulse oximeter onto one of your fingers to make sure you are getting enough oxygen.

The bronchoscopist may also put a small soft plastic tube just inside your nostril to give you oxygen and help breathe easily during your bronchoscopy. He or she will then guide a bronchoscope through your nose or your mouth and down your trachea. Images of what's going on inside your bronchi will then be displayed on a TV monitor that is receiving videos from the camera on the tip of the bronchoscope. The doctor might also use a special instrument on the end of the bronchoscope to grab a few cells from inside your lungs to do more tests on. The whole thing will usually last for less than 30 minutes and then the bronchoscopist will take the bronchoscope out.

The entire appointment with the bronchoscopist will probably last a couple of hours.

If you have a rigid bronchoscopy the same thing will happen but the doctor will definitely give you a general anaesthetic so that you are asleep the whole time. This means that you will have to stay at the hospital for longer until the medicine wears off. The special grabbing instrument will be used to remove whatever it is that you have breathed in.

Will it hurt?

No, bronchoscopy doesn't hurt. The anaesthetic spray will numb any pain in your nose and throat, and the sedative will keep you relaxed during the procedure. It may feel a bit uncomfortable but it shouldn't hurt. If it does hurt, tell the doctor.

What happens next?

You can go home in about an hour after you have your bronchoscopy with a flexible bronchoscope. If you have bronchoscopy with a rigid bronchoscope you will have to stay longer.

The sedative might make you feel very sleepy for up to a day afterwards, so make sure you take it easy - it's not a good idea to do things like riding your bike! You might also have a sore throat and nose for a couple of days afterwards but this should go away.

What if I have any other questions?

If you have any other questions, you can ask your doctor, or chat to other people about bronchoscopies in the Medikidz forums and virtual world, Mediland.