Bronchoscopybased

Bronchoscopybased, often written bronchoscopy-based, refers to medical approaches in which bronchoscopy is the primary tool for examining, diagnosing, and treating diseases of the tracheobronchial tree and nearby structures. It encompasses diagnostic and therapeutic uses and employs flexible or rigid bronchoscopes, with adjunct technologies such as endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS).

Diagnostic bronchoscopy visualizes the airways and collects samples, including bronchial washings or bronchoalveolar lavage, bronchial brushings, and forceps biopsies. EBUS and other imaging aids improve sampling of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes and guidance for peripheral lesions. Interventional bronchoscopy addresses airway obstruction or lesion management and may include mechanical debulking, balloon dilation, stent placement, foreign-body removal, and ablative therapies such as laser or cryotherapy.

Indications include persistent cough or hemoptysis, suspected lung cancer, infectious or inflammatory airway disease, nonresolving pneumonia, and airway obstruction. Contraindications include severe coagulopathy, significant hypoxemia, unstable cardiovascular status, or inability to secure the airway. Risks include bleeding, infection, pneumothorax, and hypoxemia during the procedure.

Training is typically provided to pulmonologists or thoracic surgeons, with emphasis on airway management, sedation, sampling techniques, and complication handling. Advances in navigation, robotic bronchoscopy, and molecular sampling are expanding capabilities and precision in bronchoscopy-based care.