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Bronchoscopy is a medical procedure where a tube is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth. This allows the practitioner to examine inside a patient's airway for abnormalities such as foreign bodies, bleeding, tumors, or inflammation. The practitioner often takes samples from inside the lungs biopsies, fluid (bronchoalveolar lavage), or endobronchial brushing. The practitioner may use either a rigid bronchoscope or flexible bronchoscope. A German, Gustav Killian, performed the first bronchoscopy in 1897. From then until the 1970s, doctors evaluated people’s airways using a rigid bronchoscope. A rigid bronchoscope is a straight, hollow, metal tube. Doctors perform rigid bronchoscopy less often today, but it remains the procedure of choice for removing foreign materials, as its increased thickness allows instruments to be more easily inserted through it. Rigid bronchoscopy also becomes useful when bleeding interferes with viewing the examining area, and allows for more interventions, such as cautery to stop the bleeding. A flexible bronchoscope is a long thin tube that contains small clear optical fibers that transmit light images as the tube bends. Its flexibility allows this instrument to reach further into the airway. The procedure can be performed easily and safely under local anesthesia. As flexible bronchoscopes become more advanced, it is likely that they will replace rigid bronchoscopes for most procedures.
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