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Successful conservative management of gastrotracheal fistula after esophagectomy

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Abstract

Gastro-tracheobronchial fistula following esophagogastrostomy is usually fatal, making conservative treatment inadvisable. A 68-year-old man underwent esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction in the posterior mediastinum and neck anastomosis. Despite anastomotic leakage on postoperative day 8, the patient was stable and was managed conservatively. On day 28, a gastric tube–bronchial fistula was diagnosed by esophagogram, gastrointestinal endoscopy, and bronchoscopy. No inflammatory reaction occurred and the patient remained stable, so conservative management was continued. On day 43, gastrointestinal endoscopy and bronchoscopy showed closure of the hole. The patient progressed well on an oral diet and was discharged. Conservative management is possible in limited cases.

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Ethical Statement

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any author(s).

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The authors declare no financial or commercial conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Hyogo Cancer Center, 13-70 Kitaoji-cho, Akashi, Hyogo, 673-8558, Japan

    Taro Oshikiri, Takashi Yasuda, Yasuhiro Fujino & Masahiro Tominaga

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  1. Taro Oshikiri
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  2. Takashi Yasuda
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  3. Yasuhiro Fujino
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  4. Masahiro Tominaga
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Correspondence to Taro Oshikiri.

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Oshikiri, T., Yasuda, T., Fujino, Y. et al. Successful conservative management of gastrotracheal fistula after esophagectomy. Esophagus 12, 203–207 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10388-014-0416-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10388-014-0416-x

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