You may also be asked to remove hearing aids, contact lenses or glasses. On the day of the procedure, you'll be asked to put on a gown and take out any dentures, partial dentures or removable bridges. You'll also be asked not to eat or drink for four to eight hours before the procedure. You may be asked to stop taking blood-thinning medications such as aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix) and warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) several days before bronchoscopy. Preparation for bronchoscopy usually involves food and medication restrictions, as well as discussion about additional precautions. Fever is relatively common after bronchoscopy but is not always a sign of infection. Usually this problem is easily treated, but it may require admission to the hospital. If the lung is punctured, air can collect in the space around the lung, which can cause the lung to collapse. In rare cases, an airway may be injured during bronchoscopy. Usually, bleeding is minor and stops without treatment. Bleeding is more likely if a biopsy was taken. Complications may be related to the procedure itself or to the sedative or topical numbing medicine. Complications may be more likely if airways are inflamed or damaged by disease.

EBUS may be used for other types of cancer to determine if the cancer has spread.Ĭomplications from bronchoscopy are uncommon and usually minor, although they are rarely severe.

This is called endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and helps doctors determine the appropriate treatment. In people with lung cancer, a bronchoscope with a built-in ultrasound probe may be used to check the lymph nodes in the chest. Special techniques are used to guide the collection of biopsies to ensure the desired area of the lung is sampled.

Treatment of a lung problem (interventional bronchoscopy), such as bleeding, an abnormal narrowing of the airway (stricture) or a collapsed lung (pneumothorax)ĭuring some procedures, special devices may be passed through the bronchoscope, such as a tool to obtain a biopsy, an electrocautery probe to control bleeding or a laser to reduce the size of an airway tumor.

Placement of a small tube to hold open an airway (stent).

Removal of mucus, a foreign body, or other obstruction in the airways or lungs, such as a tumor.

For example, your doctor might refer you for bronchoscopy because you have a persistent cough or an abnormal chest X-ray. Bronchoscopy is usually done to find the cause of a lung problem.

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