Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine

• Barrett’s disease
• Benign lung disease
• Benign esophageal diseases
  • Achalasia
  • Acid reflux disease
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
  • Hiatal hernia
• Chest wall deformity
  • Pectus carinatum
  • Pectus excavatum
• End-stage esophageal and airway diseases
• Esophageal cancers (including squamous cell and adenocarcinoma)
• Lung cancer
• Lung tumor, lung nodule, and lung metastasis
• Metastatic cancers affecting organs inside the chest
• Pleural effusion

• 64-slice CT scans
• Bronchoscopy, including narrow-band imaging
• Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and advanced pulmonary function testing (PFT)
• Chemotherapy/targeted therapy for cancer
• CT-guided needle biopsy
• Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
• Endoluminal treatment for Barrett’s disease
• Endoscopic treatments
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Endoscopic mucosal resection
• Esophageal dilation
• Esophageal stent placement
• High-dose rate brachytherapy
• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
• Integrated PET and CT scans
• Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
• Interventional bronchoscopy
• Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication
• Laparoscopic heller myotomy
• Laser ablation of tumors
• Laser treatment for airway and esophageal obstruction
• LINX Reflux Management System
• Mediastinoscopy
• Minimally invasive esophagectomy and thoracic surgery techniques
• Nuclear medicine
• Photodynamic therapy
• Plicator procedure
• Pneumatic dilation
• Stretta procedure
• Thorascopic lobectomy
• Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy
• Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomy

Interventional pulmonology uses minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat conditions of the lungs, including pulmonary nodules, pleural diseases, COPD, advanced emphysema, and cancers involving the chest and airways. The procedures may offer a faster recovery with less pain. Most don’t require a hospital stay.

For more information or to schedule an evaluation for an interventional pulmonology procedure at Albany Medical Center, call 518-262-5196.

Procedures

• Airway stent placement
• Bronchoscopy
• Endobronchial valve placement
• Indwelling pleural catheter placement
• Medical pleuroscopy (thoracoscopy)
• Pleural biopsy
• Pleurodesis
• Tracheal dilation
• Tracheostomy
• Thermal ablation techniques
• Ultrasound-guided transthoracic needle aspiration

Thoracic surgeons specialize in diseases affecting the organs inside the chest, including the lungs, trachea, esophagus, diaphragm, chest wall, and central chest cavity. Our team cares for patients with the entire spectrum of congenital and acquired thoracic diseases.

To schedule an appointment at Albany Medical Center, call 518-262-LUNG.

Conditions We Treat:

• Esophageal cancer
• Lung cancer
• Lung tumor, nodule, and metastasis
• Metastatic cancers affecting organs inside the chest
• Benign and malignant pleural conditions, including pleural plaque and tumors and effusion
• Mediastinal tumors
• Tumors of the chest wall

To schedule an appointment at Albany Medical Center, call 518-262-LUNG.

Our lung cancer team includes pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, and nurse navigators. Together, we work to understand each patient’s specific diagnosis and develop an individualized plan of care, whether they are newly diagnosed, have recurrent lung cancer, have another cancer that has spread to the lungs, or are seeking a second opinion.

Our state-of-the-art imaging and diagnostic testing includes 64-slice CT scans, integrated PET/CT scans, CT-guided needle biopsy, and more.

For more information or to schedule an appointment at Albany Medical Center, call 518-262-5196.

Some people who have had Covid-19 experience prolonged illness for weeks to months after recovering from their acute illness. Long Covid patients may have lingering symptoms that include shortness of breath, cough, fatigue or exhaustion, racing heart, chest pain, an inability to concentrate or a general feeling of malaise.

Led by our pulmonologists, the Post-Covid Care Clinic provides comprehensive, compassionate care. As part of their initial visit to the clinic, patients will receive a pulmonary function test (PFT) to evaluate how well their respiratory system is working. Further tests, referrals, and treatment are based on symptoms and medical history.

The Post-Covid Care Clinic treats patients 18 years and older who have lingering symptoms at least four weeks after their initial diagnosis.

To schedule an appointment at Albany Medical Center, call 518-262-9340.

Learn more about Covid-19.

The Capital Region community is fortunate to have an internationally recognized sarcoidosis expert, Marc Judson, MD, leading a team of specialists who work with each patient to determine the best treatment options.

Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Judson is a frequent speaker on the subject and runs one of the largest sarcoidosis clinics in the northeast. He is currently the President of the Americas Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders, and the American Sarcoidosis Medical Society. He has published more than 100 articles about the disease.

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that can affect any part of the body, but most commonly impacts the lungs. While its cause is unknown and it often goes away on its own, many people with sarcoidosis experience symptoms that come and go over a lifetime. Common symptoms include cough; chest pain; skin rashes on the face, arms or shins; inflammation of the eyes; weight loss; and fatigue.

Our goal is to alleviate symptoms, ensure the affected organs are functioning properly, and help patients get back to their daily activities.

To schedule an appointment at Albany Medical Center, call 518-262-5196.