Why bronchoscopy is done, and what are the potential risks and side effects associated with it?
A very good morning, Bronchoscopy is a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure which is done only by Pulmonologists. There are two types of bronchoscopes.
1. Flexible bronchoscopy 2. Rigid bronchoscopy.
Through Flexible bronchoscope, we visualise the airways. We do this if the patient is having any abnormalities on the imaging or persisting cough. It helps us to clear the secretions, to collect the samples for the diagnosis of infections, Endobronchial biopsies to diagnosis cancers, tumors, infections etc., Where as Rigid bronchoscope is only done for therapeutic purposes. Some of the therapeutic purposes are:
- Balloon dilation
- Tracheal and bronchial Stent placement
- Cauterisation
- Cryo ablation
- Foreign body removal
- Tumor excision etc.,
Risks always involve based on the purpose of procedure. Flexible bronchoscopy is generally a safe procedure. Few risks like excessive bleeding from the biopsy site, vocal cord injury, sudden cardiac arrest are seen in less than 1% of patients.
Pulmonologist, Hyderabad
Good day, Doctor. How dangerous is a bronchoscopy of the lungs? What are the dangers and complications of such a procedure? How long do the complications of a lung bronchoscopy last?
Well, lung bronchoscopy is a simple daycare procedure .. it has few complications like cough and throat pain post procedure .. generally mild sedation is used during the procedure to reduce the cough and anxiety. Complications last only for a few hours.
Pulmonologist, Hyderabad
