Palliative management of esophagorespiratory fistula in esophageal malignancy

Esophagorespiratory fistula (ERF) is a complication of an esophageal malignancy that has serious effects on the mortality of a patient, whose survival is limited to weeks. Sealing of fistula and recovery of swallowing has greater importance than treating underlying primary malignancy. In this study, we aimed to present our clinic experience in patients with ERF and to discuss the findings together with the literature.

Between January 2003 and December 2008, 326 patients with malignant esophageal disorder were admitted to our clinic, and ERF detected in 18 (5.5%) patients. There were 10 men and 8 women with a mean age of 54.7+/-11.9 years (range: 34 to 75 y). Metastases in the lung and liver were detected in 4 and 2 patients, respectively. Empyema was found in 3 of the ERF patients. Pneumonic infiltration was detected via radiologic evaluation in 7 (38.9%) of the 18 patients. Two patients did not accept any intervention. A feeding gastrostomy tube was placed in 2 other patients. Fluoroscopy-guided Ultraflex esophageal stent placement was applied to the remaining 14 patients. Eleven (78.6%) patients underwent stent placements during generalized anesthesia via rigid esophagoscopy, and the remaining 3 (21.4%)patients via flexible esophagoscopy with sedation.

One of the patients who did not accept intervention died after 2 weeks, and the other died 6 weeks after admission. One of the patients who received a feeding gastrostomy tube died 17 weeks after admission, and the other was still alive after a month, when this article was written. Closure of the ERF was seen in all 14 patients who underwent palliative covered self-expandable metallic stent placement in the esophagus. No complications occurred in the stent-placed patients either during or after the procedure. Dyspeptic complaints and pain were treated successfully with medical therapy in 6 and 5 patients, respectively. Symptoms of aspiration disappeared after stent placement. No reopened fistulae were observed during follow-up. Thirteen of the 14 stent-replaced patients died during follow-up. The mean survival rate for these 13 patients was 11.2 weeks (range: 1 to 49 wk). The mean length of hospital stay after stent placement in the 14 patients was 3.7 days (1 to 15 d).

Covered self-expandable metallic stent placement in malign ERF patients is a technically simple and safer method for fistula closure and seems to be the most effective method that is easily available.