Fiberoptic bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of pulmonary neoplasms (Hebrew)

The characteristics and technique of flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy are presented and the results of our first 100 bronchoscopies are reviewed. In 51 patients with proven cancer of the lung, the diagnosis was made by endoscopy in 75%, by cytologic examination in 68% of 45 cases and by biopsy in 64% of 22 cases. In the last 50 cases the diagnostic accuracy of the cytologic examination increased to 80% with improvement in technique. Complications of bronchoscopy were mild and inconsequential. Its use doubled the accuracy of diagnostic bronchoscopy in cancer of the lung as compared with the results obtained with the rigid bronchoscope.