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Updated: Jun 7, 2026

The Rigid Tube as an Alternative in Controlling the Problematic Airway
Published on: June 6, 2020
The compromised airway: tumors, strictures, and tracheomalacia
Henning A Gaissert1, James Burns
1Division of Thoracic and Laryngeal Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. hgaissert@partners.org
Abstract:
Airway obstruction caused by intrinsic laryngeal and tracheal disorders requires a systematic diagnostic approach, including a careful bronchoscopic examination. Tumors of the upper airway are most often malignant; except for the larynx, metastatic lesions predominate. Among the inflammatory strictures, intubation injuries remain common in developed countries. Tracheomalacia related to chronic obstructive lung disease causes high-grade, chronic, long-segment airway obstruction. The surgical treatment for each group of these disorders is described.
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