Broncho-esophageal fistula: When surgery and endoscopy fail, consider physiological lung exclusion

Dionísio Maia; Julie Tronchetti; Xavier D'Journo; Hervé Dutau

doi:10.1016/j.resmer.2023.101080

Broncho-esophageal fistula: When surgery and endoscopy fail, consider physiological lung exclusion

Respir Med Res. 2023 Dec 14:85:101080. doi: 10.1016/j.resmer.2023.101080. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Dionísio Maia¹, Julie Tronchetti², Xavier D'Journo³, Hervé Dutau⁴

Affiliations

¹ Pulmonology Department, Hospital de Santa Marta, CHLC, Portugal.
² Thoracic Oncology, Pleural Diseases and Interventional Pulmonology Department, North University Hospital, AP-HM, France.
³ Department of Thoracic Surgery, North University Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, France.
⁴ Thoracic Oncology, Pleural Diseases and Interventional Pulmonology Department, North University Hospital, AP-HM, France. Electronic address: hdutau@ap-hm.fr.

PMID: 38232656
DOI: 10.1016/j.resmer.2023.101080

Abstract

We discuss the case of an esophageal cancer patient treated by chemo and radiotherapy complicated by an esophageal stenosis and an iatrogenic broncho-esophageal fistula. This latter was managed with multiple palliative stenting procedures and colonic surgical bypass. Despite a long disease free survival but decreased quality of life and frailty, we came to the proposal of an extremely unusual form of treatment - physiological lung exclusion, with clinical benefit and so far without any drawbacks related to the procedure.

Keywords: Airway stenting; Broncho-esophageal fistula; Physiological lung exclusion.