Bronchoscopy

If you're facing a potential lung condition, turn to expert lung specialists at UC San Diego Health for the latest bronchoscopy procedures in San Diego.

This minimally invasive technique helps doctors diagnose lung problems and guide treatment planning with greater precision.

What Is Bronchoscopy?

Bronchoscopy is a procedure that lets your doctor examine the inside of your lungs and airways using a bronchoscope — a thin, lighted, flexible tube. The bronchoscope is inserted through your nose or mouth and passed into your trachea (windpipe) and bronchi (airways) to view the lungs, trachea and voice box (larynx).

There are several types of bronchoscopies. Your doctor will recommend the right approach based on your condition and needs — and in some cases, treatment can be performed during the same session.

Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy (RAB)

In this procedure, your doctor controls a robotic tool to guide a thin, flexible tube into hard-to-reach areas of the lungs to collect tissue samples.

Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy is an advanced, minimally invasive option used if you have a lung nodule or mass that needs a biopsy to check for cancer.
A 3D map of your lung on a computer screen helps your doctor precisely locate the mass or nodule.

Flexible Bronchoscopy

In this procedure, the doctor uses a thin, flexible tube with high-definition video technology to examine your airways while you're sedated.

Your doctor gets a clear, real-time view of your lungs to help diagnose conditions accurately.
A flexible bronchoscope is more commonly used than a rigid one because it provides better access to smaller areas of the lung and has a lower risk of complications.
Doctors may perform treatment during the same procedure, such as taking tissue samples for biopsy or removing mucus or small foreign objects from the airways.
It may help reduce the need for additional procedures or surgery.

Rigid Bronchoscopy

In this procedure, the pulmonary physician uses a straight, firm tube to access your airways, often while you’re under general anesthesia. It’s less common than a flexible bronchoscopy, but it allows for better ventilation and control during the procedure.

Specialized instruments or stents can be inserted through the rigid tube to better access and manage airway conditions.
Your doctor may use it both for diagnosis (infections, inflammatory diseases like sarcoidosis or cancers like lymphoma) and treatment of airway obstruction, airway narrowing (stenosis), airway cancers and bleeding, or for removing foreign objects or abnormal tissue (lesions).

Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB)

UC San Diego Health is a pioneer in using this breakthrough technology and the regional leader in both volume and expertise.

Your doctor uses state-of-the-art, GPS-like technology to guide tools deep into the lungs to obtain tissue samples of lung masses and biopsy mediastinal lymph nodes and distal lesions.

Your doctor uses CT scan images and specialized software to create a virtual map of your airways and guide a bronchoscope to targeted areas.
This technique allows accurate targeting of small or hard-to-reach lung nodules.
It helps diagnose and treat lung cancer or other pulmonary diseases by enabling precise, minimally invasive biopsies.