Fistular complication of gastric ectopia in the proximal oesophagus and pyriform sinus

Gastric ectopias in the upper oesophagus and hypopharynx are relatively rare and often misinterpreted. They may become symptomatic due to the onset of a fistula involving adjacent structures in the neck. This case report describes a 20-year-old patient with swallowing difficulties and laterocervical pain, with a diagnosis of fistula of the pyriform sinus due to secernent gastric mucosal ectopia. The significance of this case lies in the fact that accurate aetiopathogenic study and careful differential diagnostic procedures enabled the proper identification of this rare upper oesophageal pathology, which is often misdiagnosed due to the technical difficulties involved in conventional endoscopy of the digestive tract.