Esophageal-Left Atrial Fistula: Intraoperative Diagnosis and Management

• Published in: The Annals of thoracic surgery Vol. 84; no. 2; pp. 648 - 650
• Main Authors: Nguyen, Minh-Tri Jean-Pierre, MD, Trop, Sébastien, MD, PhD, Soulellis, Constantine, MD, Szego, Peter, MD, FRCPC, Ferri, Lorenzo E., MD, FRCSC
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-08-2007; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiothoracic Surgery; Deglutition Disorders - etiology; Esophageal Diseases - diagnosis; Esophageal Fistula - diagnosis; Esophageal Fistula - surgery; Female; Heart Atria - surgery; Hematemesis - etiology; Humans; Medical sciences; Monitoring, Intraoperative; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the heart; Surgery of the respiratory system; Treatment Outcome; Ulcer - diagnosis; 8; Clinical management; Treatment; Respiratory disease; Surgery; Intraoperative; Fistula; Thorax; Diagnosis; Left atrium; Esophagus
• ISSN: 0003-4975; 1552-6259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2007.02.091

Nontraumatic esophageal-atrial fistulas are usually fatal and are diagnosed postmortem. We report a rare case of intraoperative diagnosis and successful surgical management of an esophageal-left atrial fistula in a 70-year-old woman with a history of brachytherapy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy for esophageal cancer who presented with progressive dysphagia and hematemesis.