Airway Conditions

New Patient Appointment or 214-645-8898

Airway conditions can lead to difficulty breathing, speaking, or swallowing. UT Southwestern Medical Center’s multidisciplinary Complex Airway Program diagnoses and treats patients collaboratively to bring relief.

What Are Airway Conditions?

Airway conditions include a wide range of disorders that can involve the larynx (voice box), pharynx (throat), trachea (windpipe), and bronchi (lung airways).

Airway disorders can be caused by trauma, intubation, tracheostomy tube placement, autoimmune disease, cancer, radiation, or without an identifiable reason (idiopathic).

Why Choose UT Southwestern for Airway Condition Care?

The UT Southwestern multidisciplinary Complex Airway Program integrates the expertise of otolaryngology, thoracic surgery, interventional pulmonology, and rheumatology to deliver comprehensive care for patients with complex laryngeal, tracheal, and bronchial conditions. Our specialists meet regularly to review challenging cases, so patients benefit from the collective insights of our entire team. This collaborative approach, combined with our commitment to compassionate care, ensures that every patient receives a highly personalized treatment plan.

Living with an airway condition can be incredibly difficult. We are dedicated to doing everything we can to help you breathe easier.

Kevin Liang, M.D., and Laura Frye, M.D.
Co-Directors, UTSW Complex Airway Program

How Are Airway Conditions Diagnosed?

If our team suspects a patient is suffering from an airway condition, we first ask about their medical history and conduct a thorough physical examination. Diagnostic testing for airway conditions can include:

Flexible laryngoscopy (in-office procedure to see the throat)
Thoracic (chest) imaging studies, including X-rays, computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound
Bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), and other interventional lung procedures
Laboratory studies
Tissue sample (biopsy)

How Are Airway Conditions Treated?

The treatment for airway conditions depends on the nature of the problem. UT Southwestern offers treatments that include:

Medications: bronchodilators, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs
Minimally invasive endoscopic procedures, such as dilation, laser ablation, cryoablation, steroid injection, and stenting
Open surgical reconstruction, including cricotracheal resection, tracheal resection, laryngotracheoplasty with cartilage grafting, and tracheobronchoplasty
Cancer treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and other targeted therapies

Pediatric Airway Disorders

Conditions affecting a child’s airway can cause breathing and feeding difficulties as well as impact their ability to safely grow. The team at Children's Medical Center Dallas takes care of all pediatric airway conditions through the Pediatric Airway Management Program and the Multidisciplinary Pediatric Aerodigestive Clinic.