Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS)

Your consultant will explain exactly what will happen during your procedure. It may take between 30 and 60 minutes, and some steps may differ depending on your situation. 

Generally, this is what happens during an EBUS:

1. Your consultant will help you get into position, usually lying down, on one of our high-comfort tables.

2. You’ll be given an injection of local anaesthetic and/or a spray to numb your mouth and throat. This stops you from feeling any discomfort during the procedure.

3. The bronchoscope will be inserted through your mouth or nose and passed through your airways to the area that needs to be investigated.

4. The ultrasound scanner will send sound waves to produce images of the inside of your body. You won’t feel anything when this happens.

5. When your consultant has taken enough images, they’ll very gently remove the bronchoscope.

6. You’ll be able to return to our outpatient clinic to recover from your anaesthetic.

For further information on the procedure, we suggest patients watch this video.

EBUS is a very safe procedure. As with any medical procedure, complications can happen, but these are very rare.

These include:

• bleeding

• Infection

• breathing issues

• collapsed lung

You won’t be able to drive after having a local anaesthetic, so you’ll need to arrange for someone to take you home.  

Your consultant will share detailed instructions on how to prepare for your EBUS. These may involve stopping certain medications or not eating or drinking for a specific period of time before your appointment.

Once you’ve recovered from the anaesthetic, you’ll be able to go home.

It’s common to have a minor sore throat which settles down quickly, and to cough up a little blood after the examination. You may also experience fever, flu-like symptoms, or aching in your lungs for 24 to 48 hours. Usually, you can take paracetamol to ease any symptoms.

Contact us if these symptoms don’t go away within a few days, or if you’re coughing up a lot of blood.

You can resume your normal activities whenever you feel well enough.

Pricing starts from £3,820.

At Welbeck, our respiratory specialists are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.

With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.  

All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.

To book an EBUS, you must be referred by either your GP or a respiratory specialist following a consultation with them. Self-referrals are not accepted for this test.

If you would like to schedule a consultation with a respiratory specialist, please get in touch to make an appointment. Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.

Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.