Disturbed anastomotic healing after esophagectomy: A novel treatment of a benign tracheo-neo-esophageal fistula

In this report a 65-year-old man is presented who developed a benign tracheo-neo-esophageal fistula 1 month after esophageal resection due to confined leakage of the cervical anastomosis. After unsuccessful conservative treatment, the fistula was partly excised via a cervical approach and a T-drain was inserted in the esophagus, thus creating a new fistula to the skin. Over a period of 8 weeks, the long mediastinal fistula track obliterated, and after removal of the T-drain the (neo-)esophagocutaneous fistula closed rapidly. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel