 
BRONCHOSCOPIC PROGRAM Therapeutic BronchoscopyWhen the patient's lung disease cannot be adequately characterized through radiographic or other non-invasive measures, endoscopic studies (bronchoscopy) with possible transbronchial lung biopsy is often indicated. Primary disease processes that may require bronchoscopic evaluation include new lung nodules, coughing up blood (hemoptysis), unexplained shortness of breath, and new or unexplained pulmonary infiltrates (pneumonias) indentified on chest X-rays.Bronchoscopic services of the center are primarily accomplished through the specialized Bronchoscopy Unit of Allegheny General and the newly developed operating room facilities directed toward minimally invasive thoracic surgery. In addition, to standard bronchoscopy examinations, the pulmonologists and thoracic surgeons of The Allegheny Center for Lung and Thoracic Disease are particularly experienced in the advanced diagnostic techniques of bronchopulmonary lavage and the therapeutic management of benign and malignant airway problems through the use of endobronchial laser therapy, airway stenting and endobronchial radiation brachytherapy. Their experience with these techniques is some of the most advanced in the region. As with other complex lung and thoracic diseases processes approached by the center's physician team, the pulmonary medicine, radiation oncology and thoracic surgeons work jointly to coordinate the most appropriate management plan for patients with these airway problems.
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