[Massive digestive hemorrhage caused by aorto-esophageal fistula]

A very rare diagnosis before a terminal hemorrhagic accident, aorto-esophageal fistula (FAO) is almost always fatal. Three cases of this exceptional lesion are reported. The first patient died within a few minutes of admission from a cataclysmic hematemesis. This 52 year old man had a recurring adenocarcinoma of the cardia that had been treated by laser. A "premonitory hematemesis" of bright red blood had occurred eight hours before admission. In the two other cases the problem arose with an "open abdomen" in exsanguinated patients operated upon as emergencies for massive hematemesis. In both cases, an intra-esophageal balloon catheter and controlled hypotension allowed performance of a left thoracotomy and aortic clamping. One patient had a cancer of middle third of esophagus that had perforated into the descending aorta. A resection-graft of the aortic isthmus and a retrosternal gastric esophagoplasty was successfully carried out at the time of exploration. The other patient had an FAO in the aortic isthmus region probably due to a foreign body. Operation involved an esophagectomy with cervical esophagotomy and gastrotomy combined with a resection-graft of aortic isthmus using a Dacron prosthesis. This patient died on the 21st postoperative day from rupture of the brachiocephalic trunk over a tracheotomy tube. In both of these patients a "premonitory hematemesis" with dysphagia had preceded the severe hemorrhagic accident. Successful treatment is rarely obtained with such lesions, since difficulties in ensuring rapid hemostasis in exsanguinated patients operated upon usually without diagnosis and for massive hemorrhage only, are associated with the risks of aortic repair surgery in a hemorrhagic field and with a mediastinum infected from the esophageal wound.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)