We offer Bronchoscopy at both our Credit Valley Hospital and Mississauga Hospital locations.
Bronchoscopy is a test where a doctor passes a thin flexible tube called a bronchoscope through your throat or nose into the major airways of your lungs. This allows the doctor to:
- examine the lining of the air passages leading into your lungs
- take pictures of what is seen
- use a small brush to collect cells for analysis
- take a small piece of tissue so that it can be examined under a microscope (this is called a biopsy)
Bronchoscopy can be used to diagnose:
- a lung disease
- a tumor
- a chronic cough
- an infection
Your doctor may order a Bronchoscopy if you have an abnormal chest X-ray or CT scan that shows evidence of an infection, a tumor, or a collapsed lung.
Referrals
A referral from a doctor is required.
Resources for Patients & Their Families
How to Prepare for Your Bronchoscopy
Do NOT eat or drink after midnight the evening before the test. You need to have an empty stomach for the test. You may take your usual medications on the morning of the test with a sip of water only.
What to Expect During Your Bronchoscopy
An intravenous will be started and you will be given medication to help you feel relaxed and sleepy. This is not a general anesthetic. Your throat will be sprayed with local anesthetic (freezing) so you do not feel anything. Your doctor will pass the bronchoscope through your mouth or nose into your throat and into your trachea (windpipe). Some patients may cough or gag briefly when this is done. The bronchoscope is much narrower than your trachea, so you will be able to breathe easily during the procedure.
What if the Specialist Finds Something Abnormal During the Bronchoscopy?
Your doctor may collect sputum or tissue samples for biopsy. A tiny biopsy tool or brush will be used through the scope. A salt (saline) fluid may be used to wash your airway, then the samples are collected and sent to the lab to be studied. Small biopsy forceps may be used to remove a sample of lung tissue. This is called a transbronchial biopsy.
