Providence is one of the few places regionally that perform interventional bronchoscopy, and the Providence Thoracic Surgery Program has the most experience in these complex procedures. Interventional bronchoscopy is used to clear obstructions in the windpipe that are the result of cancer or of accidentally inhaling a small foreign object like a dental cap or a peanut. The opened windpipe can be maintained by stenting (placing silicone, polymer or wire devices to prop open the internal surface).
