Endoscopy is the ability to look inside the body, using a variety of very small cameras attached to either a flexible or rigid tube. The procedure allows the doctor to actually see within a body cavity or within a given organ. Directly viewing the interior of an organ is often very helpful in determining the cause of a problem and / or helpful in establishing a diagnosis.

In veterinary medicine, all endoscopy procedures are performed under general anesthesia. Due to the nature of endoscopy procedures, the amount and duration of anesthesia is much less than would be needed for a standard surgical procedure.

Bronchoscopy is the use of an endoscope to examine the throat and large airways inside the lungs. The scope used for this procedure is a long, flexible one, similar to that used for gastro-intestinal endoscopy, but much smaller in diameter. The small diameter tubing allows for better penetration through the small passageways of the lungs.