Aortoesophageal Fistulae Due to Gunshot Wounds

Abstract

We report the cases of two patients who developed aortoesophageal fistulae after sustaining gunshot wounds to the chest. One suddenly exsanguinated 5 hours postinjury while in the angiography suite. The other manifested 4 weeks postinjury while in a rehabilitation hospital for associated spinal cord injury. The diagnosis and management were complicated, but the patient lived. He is the only survivor of aortoesophageal fistula due to gunshot wound that we could find in the literature.

Complicated Management of a Traumatic Aortoesophageal Fistula in a Patient with a Right-Sided Aortic Arch

“…7,8 However, none of these cases was in a patient with a right-sided aorta. This case presents a dilemma for the surgical approach.…”

Aortoesophageal Fistula: Report of an Unusual Case

“…Arteriogram demonstrated a 2-cm aneurysm (arrow) located just above the orifice of the celiac axis findings in the esophagus and aortic aneurysm, foreign bodies are the most common cause of AEF. 2 Other possible etiologies include tuberculosis 3 and bronchial cancer, 4 but these are very rare. Although the most likely cause of the AEF in our patient was injury to the esophagus by a foreign body, leading to microperforation, then erosion of the aorta, it was atypical of a foreign body-induced AEF in two respects.…”

Aortic squamous metaplasia in a patient with aortoesophageal fistula secondary to thoracic aortic aneurysm: An autopsy case

“…Aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) is a rare and frequently lethal condition that can cause severe upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage . In adults, most cases result from atherosclerotic aneurysms, after foreign body ingestion, and other causes such as malignancy, infectious diseases, and trauma . Most pediatric cases have been associated with congenital vascular rings or foreign body ingestion .…”

“…1 In adults, most cases result from atherosclerotic aneurysms, 2,3 after foreign body ingestion, and other causes such as malignancy, 4 infectious diseases, 5 and trauma. 6 Most pediatric cases have been associated with congenital vascular rings or foreign body ingestion. 7 An AEF secondary to an atherosclerotic aneurysm must be repaired with a prosthetic graft.…”

“…8 Esophageal perforation in patients with AEF has sometimes been managed by wide resection with staged restoration of gastrointestinal continuity. 6 In cases with small defects of both the aorta and the esophagus, primary repair was reportedly effective; 9 however, the reports on successful treatment are still limited because of emergency conditions associated with gastrointestinal bleeding and possible infection of the aortic lesion. 3,10,11 In this report, we present the autopsy findings of a case of AEF.…”