Use of metallic stents to salvage and maintain patency in surgically created esophagocutaneous fistulas.

The authors report a case in which metallic Gianturco-Rosch stents were used to maintain patency of a surgically created cervical esophagocutaneous fistula. The patient was a young man with a schizoaffective disorder who underwent esophagogastrectomy as a result of multiple suicide attempts with lye ingestion. Surgical reconstruction was not possible due to extensive tissue damage. A surgically created cervical esophagocutaneous fistula allowed drainage of oral secretions but subsequently closed. Metallic Gianturco-Rosch stents were successfully used to maintain patency of this fistulous tract, following balloon dilation of the scarred hypopharynx and the tract, which has remained functional for 10 months.