[Bronchoscopy in the outpatient examination of patients]

Diagnosis was improved and the duration of examination and costs reduced as a result of bronchoscopy carried out in outpatients. Lung cancer was frequent in males over 45 years with a long history of heavy smoking. In such cases, the disease presented as long-lasting acute pneumonia. The high diagnostic value of the procedure and freedom from complications suggest that it be more closely integrated with outpatient treatment practice.