What is Bronchoscopy?
[[File:Lung cancer in L. Bronchus - bronchoscopic view.png|thumb|A view of cancerous growths in the airway of the left lung, as seen through a bronchoscope.]] '''Bronchoscopy''' is a medical procedure which is used to look at the inside of a person's airways. It can be used to see the inside of the [[trachea]], and the [[bronchi]] and [[bronchiole]]s within the lungs. There are three types of bronchoscopy: rigid, flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy and CT virtual bronchoscopy (CTVB). ==Rigid bronchoscopy== Rigid bronchoscopy is a straight rigid tube used to see into the trachea and proximal bronchi. It is usually done in an operating room under general [[anesthesia]]. It is usually used when there is a blockage in either the trachea or the primary bronchi. The [[diameter]] of the tube is large enough to insert instruments to remove obstructions.<ref>David P. Naidich: Imaging Of The Airways: Functional And Radiologic Correlations. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1 edition (2005) p.30 {{ISBN|0781757681}}</ref> ==Flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy== During the procedure, a thin, flexible [[Fiber optic|fiberoptic]] tube, called a bronchoscope, is passed through the [[nose]] or mouth nose into the airways. The bronchoscope has a light and a camera which lets the doctor see into the airway.<ref>Pallav Shah: Atlas of Flexible Bronchoscopy. CRC Press; 1 edition (2011) pp. I-II {{ISBN|034096832X}}</ref> {{multiple image | align = left | direction = vertical | image1 = Bronchoscopy nci-vol-1950-300.jpg | width1 = 120 | caption1 = A doctor using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope to explore the airways. | image2 = Stent de Dumon.jpg | width2 = 120 | caption2 = }} ==CT virtual bronchoscopy== This technique uses data from multiple [[CT]] scans to create a three dimensional (3D) image. This allows doctors to see what is going on without having to operate.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0720048X02002954 |title=CT virtual bronchoscopy in the evaluation of chi