What Is a Bronchoscopy?

Start with the instrument itself. A bronchoscope is a thin, flexible tube with a light and a small camera at its tip. Passed gently through the nose or mouth and down into the airways, it lets a clinician see the inside of the breathing passages on a screen — places no ordinary examination can reach. The video at the top of this page explains flexible bronchoscopy in just those terms: a procedure that allows a clinician to examine the breathing passages of the lungs, and one that can be diagnostic, done to find out more about a problem.

Step one: getting the airways ready

You'll be awake but relaxed for a flexible bronchoscopy, in most cases. Sedation is commonly offered so you stay comfortable, and a local anaesthetic is used to numb the nose, throat, and airways, because the body's natural response is to cough when something passes through them. You won't need to do much in this part except breathe normally and let the team talk you through it — they'll tell you what you'll feel, which is usually pressure rather than pain.

Step two: the look inside

Once the scope is in place, it moves slowly through the windpipe and into the branching airways. The clinician is looking at the lining itself — for areas of inflammation, narrowing, bleeding, or growths — and the camera view guides every next decision. If you want to see what that view actually looks like, this site's bronchoscopy procedure video spends about seven and a half minutes inside the lungs. For readers living with a long-term airway condition, our guide to asthma and how it is treated explains the condition bronchoscopy sometimes helps clinicians distinguish from other causes of breathlessness.

Step three: samples, only if they're needed

Looking is sometimes the whole job. At other times the scope's small working channel lets the clinician collect what the eye alone can't settle: a washing of fluid from part of the lung, a brush sample, or a tiny piece of tissue for laboratory examination. That is what turns a look into a diagnosis — samples can be checked for infection and examined under a microscope. Whether any of this happens depends on why the test was arranged in the first place, and your clinician should explain beforehand what is planned in your case.

Afterwards: a short recovery, then the conversation

Because your throat has been numbed, you'll be asked not to eat or drink until the numbness wears off and swallowing feels normal again, and a sore throat or a mild cough for a day or so is common. Results come in two stages: what the clinician saw is usually discussed soon after, while sample results take longer, because they have to be processed and examined. Ask, before you leave, when and how those results will reach you — that one question saves a lot of waiting and wondering.

MedicalVideos.com has published trusted medical videos since 2007. The site was founded by Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, MD, PhD — physician, researcher, and former Duke faculty.

Educational only — this article is general information about bronchoscopy, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. If you are breathless, coughing up blood, or have been offered this test, discuss your own situation with your clinician, who knows your history and your test results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a bronchoscopy hurt?
The airways are numbed with local anaesthetic and sedation is commonly offered, so most people feel pressure and an urge to cough rather than pain. A sore throat afterwards is common.

How is the scope put in?
A flexible bronchoscope is usually passed through the nose or mouth and guided down the windpipe into the airways while you breathe normally.

Why might samples be taken?
Fluid, brushings, or a tiny tissue sample can be checked for infection and examined in a laboratory, helping clinicians pin down the cause of symptoms or imaging findings.

Can I eat straight afterwards?
Not until the numbness in your throat has worn off and swallowing feels normal. Your team will tell you when it is safe to eat and drink again.

Is bronchoscopy the same as surgery?
No. It is an endoscopic test — a camera inspection through the natural airway, with no cuts to the skin. Samples may be taken through the scope, but it is not an operation.