The compromised airway: tumors, strictures, and tracheomalacia.

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.