Primary aorto-oesophageal fistula due to oesophageal carcinoma. Report of a successfully managed case.

Aorto-oesophageal fistula is a rare but often fatal entity causing upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Amongst the different aetiologies described, the commonest is rupture of a thoracic aortic aneurysm into the oesophagus. This entity was first reported in 1818, and only recently have successfully treated cases been published. Other causes such as postoperative complications, tuberculosis and trauma are less common. Oesophageal malignancy perforating the aorta is a rarity. The authors describe a case of aortic perforation secondary to an oesophageal carcinoma, treated with initial success. The clinical onset was a massive upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. The diagnosis, once the bleeding was controlled, was arrived at after CT-scanning and arteriography. A Dacron prosthesis was interposed into the descending thoracic aorta to restore aortic flow; later an oesophagectomy plus oesophagostomy and jejunostomy were carried out.