Luber Sarah, Alweis Richard
Department of Internal Medicine, Reading Health System, Reading, PA, USA;
Department of Internal Medicine, Reading Health System, Reading, PA, USA.
J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2015 Apr 1;5(2):26715. doi: 10.3402/jchimp.v5.26715. eCollection 2015.
A tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), albeit rare, can be a life-threatening condition that requires prompt identification and treatment. Pulmonary contamination and restriction of proper nutrition are common, unfortunate consequences of untreated TEFs and are often the causes of mortality in this population. In our patient, a history of laryngeal malignancy along with symptoms of chest pain and cough with ingestion of liquids, even without evidence of aspiration pneumonia, appropriately prompted investigation for potential TEF. Initial imaging through barium swallow identified the TEF, and the patient underwent treatment with endoclips by endoscopy with bronchoscopic assistance.
气管食管瘘（TEF）虽然罕见，但可能是一种危及生命的疾病，需要及时识别和治疗。肺部污染和营养摄入受限是未经治疗的TEF常见的不良后果，也是该人群死亡的常见原因。在我们的患者中，有喉恶性肿瘤病史，伴有胸痛和饮水时咳嗽的症状，即使没有吸入性肺炎的证据，也足以促使对潜在的TEF进行检查。通过吞钡造影进行的初步影像学检查发现了TEF，患者在内镜检查并借助支气管镜的情况下接受了内镜夹闭治疗。
