A bronchoscopy is a test to examine the parts of the body that allow you to breathe.

The doctor uses a thin, flexible telescopic instrument called a bronchoscope. It is passed through the nose or mouth and down into:

• see your windpipe (trachea) and airways (bronchi)
  
   
• look for anything unusual
  
   
• take photographs
  
   
• take samples of lung tissue (biopsies) or of secretions, which can then be examined under a microscope.