Pulmonary resection for inflammatory complications due to benign oesophageal disease

Benign oesophageal disease is sometimes causes an irreversible damage to the pulmonary parenchyma. The earliest symptoms often occur when the respiratory tract is involved. Primary oesophageal disease can only be detected by taking an accurate and precise medical history of the patient, so that oesophageal contrast radiography can provide the correct diagnosis. In this article we present two cases in which it was necessary to carry out a diverticulectomy with pulmonary resection, left lower lobectomy and left pneumonectomy. Reports from the literature agree that diverticular disease of the oesophagus, if misdiagnosed, can have serious consequences for the pulmonary parenchyma, even if this is rare. In both cases we present the contrast radiographic study of the oesophagus together with a double endoscopic examination of the airways and upper digestive tract which played a crucial role in the diagnosis. We can therefore conclude that respiratory symptoms in an otherwise healthy patient may constitute the basis for the diagnosis of a benign oesophageal lesion.