Diagnostic or therapeutic flexible bronchoscopy is often necessary in severely ill patients. These patients often have comorbidities that increase the risk of bronchoscopy-related complications. Noninvasive ventilation might decrease the risk of these complications in patients with severe refractory hypoxemia, postoperative respiratory distress, or severe emphysema, and in pediatric patients. N...

Bronchoscopy can cause post-procedural throat discomfort due to oropharyngeal irritation. We report a rare complication of bronchoscopy that resulted in similar symptoms. A 30-year-old man complained of severe throat discomfort a day after bronchoscopy. Examination revealed a swollen, elongated uvula. The lower half of the uvula was completely white, consistent with uvular necrosis. He was mana...

Multidetector computed tomography-generated virtual bronchoscopy (VB) is a recent technical development that allows visualisation of the lumen and wall of the trachea and proximal part of the bronchial tree. A dynamic image is produced that resembles what is seen with fibreoptic bronchoscopy (FB). Although the technique has not yet reached daily clinical practice and it can never replace FB, pe...

Flexible bronchoscopy was introduced by Ikeda in 1968.1 Its use in pediatric medicine, popularized by Wood and Fink,2 has increased steadily since the introduction in 1978 of the pediatric flexible bronchoscope with suction channel. The efficacy of flexible bronchoscopy as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in pediatric practice has been demonstrated.3-5 It can, however, give rise to complicatio...