This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by
Maurie Markman, MD, President, Medicine & Science.
This page was updated on June 13, 2022.
Bronchoscopy is a procedure done to look inside the air passages of your lungs. In the most common type, flexible bronchoscopy, a thin and flexible scope is inserted through your nose or mouth. The scope, called a bronchoscope, is passed down the back of your throat and between your vocal cords to enter the air passages. A camera in the scope sends pictures to a video screen during the procedure.
Another type of bronchoscopy is called rigid bronchoscopy. This procedure also looks inside the air passages of your lungs, but the tube is larger and not flexible. A rigid scope can only be placed through your mouth. It’s less common than flexible bronchoscopy.
There are several guidelines in preparation of bronchoscopy, which is usually an outpatient procedure:
Pneumothorax is a rare complication that may occur when a biopsy is taken. A leak of air from the lung can escape into surrounding tissue and cause part of the lung to collapse. A small leak may close without treatment, but a collapsed lung must be treated with a chest tube to re-expand the lung, according to the Chest Foundation.
After the procedure, you’ll be brought to an area to recover from your sedation or general anesthesia. Until you’re awake and any numbness in your throat has worn off, you will not be allowed to eat or drink. Recovery may take anywhere from one to three hours.
You may also be given a chest X-ray to make sure there is no evidence of pneumothorax before you go home. It may take a few days to get results of tests or biopsies done during the procedure. However, your doctor may describe what was found during the procedure before you go home.
Once home, it’s normal to have some soreness in your throat. It’s not uncommon to have a low-grade fever for a day or two, but let your doctor know if you have any of these symptoms:
If you’re having flexible bronchoscopy, the procedure is usually performed with intravenous (IV) sedation. Rigid bronchoscopy is performed under general anesthesia, which means you’ll be asleep.
You will receive oxygen throughout the procedure whether you’re awake or asleep. The procedure usually takes about 30 to 60 minutes. It may take longer if you have an imaging study during the procedure, such as an endobronchial ultrasound, which creates images with sound waves from inside your lung.
Steps routinely used for flexible bronchoscopy include:
During the procedure, your doctor will examine your airways and perform tests or procedures as needed.
There are many reasons for flexible bronchoscopy. The most common ones include:
Bronchoscopy may also be done if you’ve been diagnosed with lung cancer to find the stage of your cancer—how far cancer has grown—and to decide if the cancer can be removed by surgery or needs a different type of treatment.
Although rigid bronchoscopy is an older procedure that has mainly been replaced by flexible bronchoscopy, rigid bronchoscopy is still important for certain conditions. These include removing a central airway obstruction that is too large for the flexible scope, removing a large foreign body and treating severe bleeding.