Esophagoaortic fistula caused by esophageal tuberculosis: report of a case

We report herein the case of a 73-year-old woman who was urgently admitted to hospital with severe hematemesis. An emergency endoscopy revealed a protruding lesion 36 cm from the incisors; however, respiratory insufficiency precluded surgery and despite aggressive medical treatment, the patient's respiratory status continued to deteriorate, leading to death on the 36th hospital day. An autopsy revealed the source of the hemorrhage to be a fistula connecting the esophagus and the descending aorta. Histopathologic studies showed that this fistula was caused by esophageal tuberculosis.