Flexible Nasoendoscopy

The endoscope is a narrow, thin flexible tube telescope with a bright light. In a standard fiberoptic endoscope, the image is transmitted through lots of very fine glass fibres to an eyepiece or camera. Sometimes a video camera is sited at the end of the endoscope and the picture is displayed on a screen.

This thin flexible tube is passed through the nostril and allows us to examine the nasal cavity and back of your nose, back of the tongue, throat and/or voice box whilst you are awake. Looking at these areas helps us make a diagnosis. You may be asked to swallow or breathe through your nose.

You can breathe in and out through your nose and mouth during the procedure. You may also be asked to say some words, noises or sentences out loud. 

The procedure usually only lasts a few minutes and can be performed with or without local anaesthetic. There are minimal after effects, though the sensation in the nose and throat can take an hour to return to normal if local anaesthetic is used. During this time you should not eat or drink hot foods or beverages until the anaesthetic wears off. Some people find the loss of sensation very uncomfortable as they feel like they cannot breathe or swallow saliva. Patients will receive their nasal endoscopy findings immediately after the procedure.

With flexible nasoendoscopy risk of disease transmission is minimal as the scope is sterilized between patients with a specialized commercial solution.