Which procedure visualizes the airway by inserting an endoscope into the bronchial tubes?

• A. Colonoscopy
• B. Chest X-ray
• C. Bone scan
• D. Bronchoscopy

Answer: (D)

Visualizing the airway with an endoscope means guiding a flexible instrument with a light into the trachea and bronchial tubes to look directly at their inner surfaces. This is accomplished with bronchoscopy, where a bronchoscope is passed through the mouth or nose into the airways, allowing direct inspection, biopsy, sampling, or even treatment. The other options don’t access the airways with an endoscope: colonoscopy examines the colon with a colonoscope, chest X-ray provides a radiographic image of the chest, and a bone scan uses a radioactive tracer to evaluate bone activity. Bronchoscopy is the procedure that specifically visualizes the airway through endoscopic access.