Thoracic Endoscopy Clinic

The thoracic endoscopy centre at Erasme Hospital performs all types of bronchoscopies, whether diagnostic, such as bronchoalveolar lavage, bronchial or transbronchial biopsies, or therapeutic, such as the placement of an endobronchial stent.

For several years, the thoracic endoscopy centre has established itself as a reference centre for bronchoscopy in Belgium and Europe by performing certain types of endoscopic procedures that are unique in our country, such as endobronchial navigation for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary nodules and cryobiopsies for the diagnosis of peripheral interstitial diseases. For teaching purposes, the Erasme Hospital Endoscopy Centre has been organising the Thoracic Endoscopy Congress for the Belgian Society of Pneumology for the past 10 years, with the aim of training participants in new techniques in Belgium.

The endoscopic treatment of pulmonary emphysema through bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (valves) is one of the activities performed by our endoscopists.
Bronchial endoscopy also plays a role at various stages in the management of lung cancer, both for diagnostic biopsies and for bronchial debulking or the placement of endobronchial stents.

To optimise working conditions for bronchial endoscopy, Erasme Hospital has developed a multidisciplinary Endoscopy Unit with specialised nursing and anaesthesiology teams, ensuring the expertise essential for carrying out this highly precise activity.