Overview
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The Bronchoscopy and Interventional Bronchoscopy Program at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Respiratory Institute provides diagnosis and treatment for both simple and complex airway and lung diseases. Some of the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic interventional bronchoscopy procedures are available through this program, all performed by highly trained specialized physicians.
The Bronchoscopy and Interventional Bronchoscopy Program emphasizes patient care, patient safety, and use of state-of-the-art technology and the latest equipment, to provide the best care available. Some advanced bronchoscopic procedures are only provided in the Middle East by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
What We Treat
During a bronchoscopy, physicians insert a hollow flexible tube, called a bronchoscope, into the airways through the patient’s nose or mouth. The bronchoscope is used to visually examine the inside of the patient’s airways and lungs, collect samples for laboratory testing, and in some cases, to perform interventional procedures.
Standard flexible bronchoscopy is a highly useful tool in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious and inflammatory conditions, including:
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Pneumonia
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Bronchiectasis
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Lung fibrosis.
Advanced interventional bronchoscopy services include:
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Diagnosis & staging of lung pathology
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Evaluation of peripheral lung lesions
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Treatment of airway swelling in asthma patients
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Treatments to improve breathing in emphysema patients
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Treatments to relieve airway stenosis (constriction of the airways)
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Interventional treatments to stop bleeding from lesions.
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Diagnosis & Treatment
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Bronchoscopic procedures have a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic uses for examining and treating disorders of the airways and lungs.
Diagnosis Using Bronchoscopy
Bronchoscopy is usually performed under moderate sedation or general anesthesia.
In a standard flexible bronchoscopy procedure, a small flexible tube with a camera and light source is passed through the mouth or nose of the patient, which allows the physician to examine the large and small airways of the lung (or lungs). If needed, the physician will also collect washings or biopsy samples for laboratory evaluation.
Bronchoscopy is one of the advanced technological tools available at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to aid the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. An endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy (EBUS) can be used for rapid diagnosis and noninvasive staging of lung cancer. This technology allows for the use of ultrasound waves within the branches of the patient’s airways, and dramatically improves safety and the diagnostic value of the information collected.
Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (EMN) is a procedure that uses GPS-like technology to guide the bronchoscopist to peripheral and difficult-to-reach lung lesions, which allows for samples to be collected and can aid in the early diagnosis of certain lung diseases.
Treatment With Bronchoscopy
Some treatments for respiratory disorders are performed via bronchoscopy, including:
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Asthma: Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT) - Used to help treat severe and difficult-to-control asthma, this procedure involves the application of controlled heat energy to the airways in order to relieve swelling. A dedicated catheter is used for this, and is passed through the flexible bronchoscope.
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Emphysema & Airway Disorders : Airway coils and valves - These allow for the bronchoscopic treatment of severe emphysema by reducing lung volume and air-trapping in these patients, without the risk of a surgical intervention. Relief of airway stenosis (constriction), which can be caused by benign or malignant disease, uses either a rigid bronchoscope (a metallic tube that can be passed into the large airways) or a flexible bronchoscope with balloon dilation to expand the airway.
Other treatments that utilize bronchoscopy include:
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Argon plasma coagulation: A form of electrosurgery used to stop bleeding from lesions within the esophagus.
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Electrocautery: A small probe with an electric current is used to remove unwanted tissue, and to stop bleeding.
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Airway stenting: A hollow tube placed in the airway in order to open a narrow or obstructed airway.
Meet Our Team
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The Program’s multidisciplinary team of caregivers includes several highly specialized interventional bronchoscopists with dedicated interventional pulmonology training and experience performing advanced diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Caregivers include:
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Pulmonologists
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Anesthesiologists
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Hospital medicine specialists (Hospitalists)
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Specialized nursing staff.
