bronchoscope

bronchoscope (brong'kuskōp") [key], long, tubular instrument with a light at the tip that is inserted through the windpipe and bronchial tubes to examine these structures. By passing other instruments through it, foreign bodies and obstructions can be removed and tissue or secretions may be removed for microscopic observation. Gustav Killian, German laryngologist, in Freiburg, Germany, was the first to experiment with such a device in 1895. Chevalier Jackson adapted the bronchoscope to serve as an aid to the breathing of a patient during surgery in 1903, and he improved the system of illumination in the instrument; he is regarded as the father of bronchoscopy.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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