Tracheal & Bronchial Disorders Treatment Program

At NYU Langone’s Tracheal and Bronchial Disorders Treatment Program, our team of specialists manages conditions of the trachea, commonly known as the windpipe, and the bronchi, which are the two major airways leading from the trachea to the lungs.

Our doctors are renowned experts in the use of minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery to manage tracheobronchomalacia (TBM), in which the trachea and bronchi soften and collapse during breathing. Ours is one of the few programs in the Northeast to focus on treatment of conditions that affect the airway, using both surgical and nonsurgical minimally invasive approaches.

These are some of the other conditions of the airway we commonly treat:

• tracheal stenosis, a narrowing of the trachea that typically occurs because of scarring after intubation
• tracheoesophageal fistula, or an abnormal opening between the trachea and the esophagus, the long, hollow tube that extends from the throat to the stomach
• trachea or bronchial tumors, both noncancerous and cancerous, including slow-growing carcinoid tumors

Our tracheal experts include interventional pulmonologists, pathologists, thoracic surgeons, head and neck surgeons, head and neck reconstructive surgeons, and pulmonary rehabilitation specialists. Doctors from Perlmutter Cancer Center, including radiologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists, may also be part of the care team.

Together, we create personalized care plans to manage your airway health. Care may include interventional pulmonology procedures, minimally invasive or open surgery, chemotherapy or immunotherapy, radiation therapy, and pulmonary rehabilitation.