Table of Contents
- Overview
- Results
- Risks
- Prevention
- Images
Bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsy is a procedure in which a thin, lighted tube (bronchoscope) is inserted through the nose or mouth to collect several pieces of lung tissue.
Alternative Names
Biopsy - lung - bronchoscopic
How the test is performed
A lung specialist (pulmonologist) sprays a numbing medicine (anesthetic) in your mouth and throat. This will cause you to
You may be given a sedative medicine through a vein (IV) to help you relax. This medication may make you sleepy and should reduce any anxiety you have about the procedure. The procedure can also sometimes be done using general
If the bronchoscopy is done through the nose, an anesthetic jelly will be inserted into one nostril. When the nostril is numb, the scope will be inserted through the nostril until it passes through the throat into the windpipe (trachea) and air passages of the lungs (bronchi). Usually, a long, thin flexible tool called a bronchoscope is used.
Samples of lung fluids may be taken through the bronchoscope. Salt water (saline) may be used to flush the area and collect cells for examination.
The transbronchial biopsy procedure is performed using a tiny forceps passed through the bronchoscope into your lungs. You will be asked to breathe out slowly as a small sample of lung tissue is taken. This step is usually repeated until several samples of tissue have been collected. Sometimes
How to prepare for the test
Review Date: 09/13/2008
Reviewed By: Benjamin Medoff, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard
Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit, Massachusetts
General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
