An incidentally diagnosed bronchoesophageal fistula in an adult

Alper Fındıkcıoğlu; Dalokay Kılıç; Şule Akın; Oya Çok; Anış Arıboğan; Ahmet Hatipoğlu

doi:10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2012.127

Alper Fındıkcıoğlu¹, Dalokay Kılıç¹, Şule Akın², Oya Çok², Anış Arıboğan², Ahmet Hatipoğlu¹

¹Departments of Thoracic Surgery, Medical Faculty of Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey
²Departments of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Medical Faculty of Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey

DOI : 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2012.127

Congenital bronchoesophageal fistulas (BEFs) are usually diagnosed during the neonatal period. Only simple types (type 2) may remain undiagnosed until adulthood. Congenital BEFs may remain hidden if the orifice of the fistula is closed with a permanent membrane, and/or the esophageal orifice is below the level of the bronchial orifice. Bronchoesophageal fistulas should be treated as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed with early surgical intervention. Despite their benign nature, congenital BEFs may lead to fatal complications, for example massive hemoptysis. In this article, we present a 55-year-old female patient with a congenital BEF. The fistula was first suspected during an inguinal hernia operation. Her mild symptoms became worse following the diagnosis, and hemoptysis developed. A fistulectomy using a right thoracotomy and right lower lobectomy were then performed.

Keywords : Bronchoesophageal fistulas; hemoptysis; lobectomy; thoracotomy

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