Bronchoscopy

Programs that conduct tests using a bronchoscope (a tube that is passed through the nose or the mouth through the windpipe and into the lungs) to view an individual's airways and diagnose lung disease. Although the device can be flexible or rigid, a flexible bronchoscope is almost always used. Sometimes tiny brushes, needles or forceps may be passed through the bronchoscope and used to take small tissue samples (biopsies) from the lungs. The doctor may also place a stent in the airway or view the lungs with ultrasound during a bronchoscopy.