Bronchoscopy of the lungs - examination of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tree using a special device. The bronchoscope is a flexible rod with a light source and a photo or video camera at the end.
Lung bronchoscopy is indicated when there is a suspicion of an inflammatory process or tumor. In particular, this method is used when other, less invasive methods do not provide adequate information. The specified manipulation is carried out in difficult as well as emergency situations, when there is no time for carrying out lengthy procedures and analyzes, for example, with hemoptysis.
Bronchoscopy of the lungs is used not only for diagnostic, but also for therapeutic purposes. So, this medical manipulation is used to extract foreign bodies from the bronchi, to administer drugs and take a tissue biopsy.
Thus, for most diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, bronchoscopy is performed.
Preparation includes a whole range of measures, such as chest x-ray, determination of blood saturation, blood levels of urea and coagulogram results, as well as electrocardiography.
A bronchoscopic examination is performed on an empty stomach to avoid getting cough leftovers in the patient's respiratory tract.
Immediately prior to conducting bronchoscopy, premedication is carried out - the introduction of sedatives (sedatives).
For patients with bronchospasm (in the presence of chronic obstructive disease, asthma), muscle relaxants such as seduxen, atropine and diphenhydramine are intramuscularly administered thirty to forty minutes before the study. Fifteen to twenty minutes before the manipulation, the solution of aminophylline is administered intravenously, before the procedure itself, the patient is given salbutamol from the individual dispenser.
Next, local anesthesia of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx and oropharynx is carried out using a spray with an anesthetic. Local anesthesia is performed to eliminate discomfort during the passage of the bronchoscope, as well as to suppress the cough reflex when bronchoscopy is performed.
The consequences of the latter are most often represented by nasal congestion, a feeling of “coma” in the throat (due to trauma and swelling of the mucosa). Usually, these sensations disappear within a few hours after the completion of the bronchoscopic examination of the respiratory tract.
However, along with these typical consequences for bronchoscopy, sometimes quite serious complications, such as post-biopsy bleeding, bronchospasm, pneumothorax, damage to the bronchial wall, and even allergic reactions, are sometimes possible. It is worth noting that the frequency of development of such complications after the procedure is extremely low. First of all, this is due to high-quality and fully carried out preparations for bronchoscopy.
Currently, lung bronchoscopy is the leading diagnostic test for a variety of respiratory tract pathologies, as well as an effective treatment for many of them. As a treatment method, this procedure is used to sanitize the purulent process in the bronchial tree by aspirating the contents, as well as by administering pharmaceutical preparations endobronchially.
Today, bronchoscopy is also used for various operations. So, with the help of a bronchoscope, occlusion is performed with a special sponge of the damaged bronchi, in addition, they cause lavage of the bronchial tree in asthma.
Thus, we can responsibly state that bronchoscopy (or endoscopy of the bronchial tree), as a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure, is not only important, but in many cases simply irreplaceable.