Bronchoscopy involves passing a thin, flexible camera through the nose or mouth, down the throat, through the vocal cords, and into the bronchial tree, allowing me to examine the airways directly under sedation. The whole procedure typically takes 20 to 30 minutes and patients recover within a few hours. I use bronchoscopy to investigate unexplained abnormalities on chest imaging, persistent cough or breathlessness where the cause is unclear, suspected lung cancer requiring tissue diagnosis, tuberculosis where sputum testing has been inconclusive, and airway foreign bodies. In West Bengal's clinical environment, it is particularly valuable for the complex post-tuberculosis airway abnormalities I see regularly.
Written by Dr. Subhajit Sen, MBBS, MD (Pulmonology/Respiratory Medicine), Consultant Pulmonologist, West Bengal. 12 years of clinical experience. Phone: +91 8282857661.
