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Congenital esophagobronchial fistula in an adult
1Department of Surgery, University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center 90024.
Insights
Congenital esophagobronchial fistula, a rare condition in adults, can cause lifelong aspiration symptoms. Surgical division of this fistula successfully treated a 38-year-old woman, resolving her symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Thoracic Surgery
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Congenital esophagobronchial fistula is typically diagnosed and treated in infancy or childhood.
- Adult presentation of this condition is uncommon, suggesting a small, asymptomatic fistula in most cases.
Observation:
- A 38-year-old woman presented with chronic aspiration symptoms.
- The patient was diagnosed with a presumed congenital esophagobronchial fistula.
Findings:
- Surgical division of the esophagobronchial fistula was performed.
- The patient experienced a complete resolution of lifelong aspiration symptoms post-surgery.
Implications:
- This case highlights that congenital esophagobronchial fistula can persist into adulthood.
- Surgical intervention is effective in treating symptomatic adult patients with this rare condition.
- Early diagnosis and treatment in childhood are crucial to prevent long-term complications.
Abstract:
Congenital esophagobronchial fistula occurring in infancy and childhood is a well-recognized entity necessitating urgent surgical treatment. Persistence of such a communication into adulthood is rare and would seem possible only if the tract were small so that aspiration into the lung could be tolerated. The case of a 38-year-old woman is presented in this report who was cured of lifelong symptoms of aspiration by surgical division of a presumed congenital esophagobronchial fistula.