Anaesthesia for diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy

Bronchoscopy was first described in 1897 by Gustav Killian. He then used a rigid bronchoscope to remove a pork bone from a farmer’s right main bronchus. Prior to this, the airways were topicalized with cocaine. Sixty-five years later, Dr. Shigeto Ikeda developed flexible bronchoscopes. He utilized fibreoptic technology to create the first modern flexible bronchoscope. Flexible bronchoscopes are available in various diameters, ranging from 2.8 to 6.3 mm. Ultrathin versions can reach as far as the fifth generation of the bronchotracheal tree. They are used for biopsy of peripheral lung lesions.