Those of us who have been working for a number of years in the field of peroral endoscopy have witnessed many changes in the development of this specialty. Some of these changes have been in the form of improvement in technique and instruments and a focusing of indications for the procedure. The advent of antimicrobial therapy and the advancements of thoracic surgery have produced newer and different concepts in the development of bronchology.
I have just used the word bronchology. This in itself denotes a change. Instead of acting as technicians in performing endoscopy, we now practice a specialty that goes beyond the mere performance of a procedure and the description of what is seen. A dictionary states that bronchology is "that special branch of medicine dealing with the study and treatment of the bronchial tree by means of bronchoscopy." But in order to do this we must be acquainted