Abstract
Bronchoscopy provides a unique technical possibility to visualize the airways, document pathological lesions and collect relevant biological material directly from the lower airways. Diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy performed under sedation or general anaesthesia with preserved spontaneous breathing and coughing reflex also allows for a proper diagnosis of dynamic changes of the airway patency and the correlation of the bronchoscopic findings with clinical symptoms and physiological measurements.
With the advancement of modern flexible instruments, it has become possible to perform certain therapeutic procedures, such as dilatation of the airways, targeted removal of intrabronchial material and, in specific limited instances, to also remove an aspirated foreign body. The functional examination of paediatric lower airways requires a lot of experience, as some of the pathologies involved are rather rare and the differentiation between normal variation and true pathology is not always easy.