The role of bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of respiratory diseases

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Tung Hoanh - Department of Resuscitation - Emergency - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.

Bronchoscopy has an extremely important role in supporting the diagnosis, discovering the cause of respiratory problems such as removing respiratory foreign bodies, difficulty breathing, bleeding or prolonged cough..
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Bronchoscopy is a procedure that uses a small, flexible tube, with a light and camera on one end, inserted into the patient's respiratory tract (it can be inserted from the patient's mouth or nose into the airways). respiratory tract) to help the doctor see the structures inside the airways such as the trachea, vocal cords, larynx, pharynx, or smaller airways.
Before performing the flexible bronchoscopy procedure, the doctor will anesthetize the patient and perform the procedure while the patient is still conscious.

Many patients, when indicated, do not know what bronchoscopy is for. In terms of medicine, this is a procedure with many uses, such as:
Help find the cause of respiratory problems, find foreign bodies in the respiratory tract: There are many pathological diseases. Respiratory symptoms can include coughing up blood, prolonged cough, shortness of breath, chronic pneumonia, bronchitis, some areas of narrow airways, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, .. These diseases are quite common and anyone can have them. Diagnosis of lung diseases Bronchoscopy to take tissue samples: Using the endoscope to insert instruments into the patient's body to take samples for testing, check the growth of tumors to help doctors The doctor closely monitors the patient's situation and offers appropriate treatment. Flexible bronchoscopy helps doctors observe tissue and cell damage in the respiratory organs. From there, correctly diagnose the patient's condition and prescribe the appropriate treatment. Bronchoscopy to take tissue samples, diagnose, determine the area and extent of cancer: Diseases such as lung cancer, tumors in the airways. Treatment of respiratory diseases, foreign bodies by endoscopic method.

Flexible bronchoscopy was invented in 1966 by Dr. Shigeto Ikeda. It can be said that flexible bronchoscopy is a breakthrough invention in the medical field, it is considered the savior of dangerous respiratory diseases.
Flexible bronchoscopy is the most advanced procedure in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases. With this procedure, the doctor will see the structure of the respiratory organs, the damage inside these organs. Provide diagnosis of diseases inside the bronchial tree, bronchi, from trachea to small bronchi, assist in taking samples to conduct other tests.
Advantages of flexible bronchoscopy:
Supported by cameras and screens with high resolution True colors With Xenon lamp system, narrow frequency band NBI From those superior features help doctors Easy intervention even for the most inaccessible places of the respiratory tract, observing and treating lesions quickly (about 10-15 minutes) without causing pain or discomfort to the patient.

At Vinmec International General Hospital, flexible bronchoscopy technique is performed on modern machinery and equipment, this technique does not make patients uncomfortable during endoscopy: Choking, feeling of asphyxia ... Before the procedure, the patient will be anesthetized and carefully controlled the airway to ensure safety and minimize irritation or discomfort for the patient, then the doctor will perform endoscopic techniques, remove foreign bodies and then check and control to make sure there are no complications for the patient.