Chinese expert consensus on interventional diagnosis and management of acquired digestive-respiratory tract fistulas (second edition).

Acquired digestive-respiratory tract fistulas occur with abnormal communication between the respiratory tract and digestive tract caused by a variety of benign or malignant diseases, leading to the alimentary canal contents in the respiratory tract. Although various departments have been actively exploring advanced fistula closure techniques, including surgical methods and multimodal therapy, some of which have gotten good clinical effects, there are few large-scale evidence-based medical data to guide clinical diagnosis and treatment. The guidelines update the etiology, classification, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of acquired digestive-respiratory tract fistulas. It has been proved that the implantation of the respiratory and digestive stent is the most important and best treatment for acquired digestive-respiratory tract fistulas. The guidelines conduct an in-depth review of the current evidence and introduce in detail the selection of stents, implantation methods, postoperative management and efficacy evaluation.

Association of Pharyngocutaneous Fistula With Cancer Outcomes in Patients After Laryngectomy: A Multicenter Collaborative Cohort Study.

Importance: Pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) results in an inflammatory reaction, but its association with the rate of locoregional and distant control, disease-free survival, and overall survival in laryngeal cancer remains uncertain. Objective: To determine if pharyngocutaneous fistula after salvage laryngectomy is associated with locoregional and distant control, disease-free survival, and/or overall survival. Design, Setting, and Participants: A multicenter collaborative retrospective cohort study conducted at 5 centers in Canada and the US of 550 patients who underwent salvage laryngectomy for recurrent laryngeal cancer from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2014. The median follow-up time was 5.7 years (range, 0-18 years). Main Outcomes and Measures: Outcomes examined included locoregional and distant control, disease-free survival, and overall survival. Fine and Gray competing risk regression and Cox-proportional hazard regression models were used for outcomes. Competing risks and the Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate outcomes at 3 years and 5 years. Results: In all, 550 patients (mean [SD] age, 64 [10.4] years; men, 465 [85%]) met inclusion criteria. Pharyngocutaneous fistula occurred in 127 patients (23%). The difference in locoregional control between the group of patients with PCF (75%) and the non-PCF (72%) group was 3% (95% CI, -6% to 12%). The difference in overall survival between the group with PCF (44%) and the non-PCF group (52%) was 8% (95% CI, -2% to 20%). The difference in disease-free survival between PCF and non-PCF groups was 6% (95% CI, -4% to 16%). In the multivariable model, patients with PCF were at a 2-fold higher rate of distant metastases (hazard ratio, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.22 to 3.27). Distant control was reduced in those with PCF, a 13% (95% CI, 3% to 21%) difference in 5-year distant control. Conclusions and Relevance: This multicenter retrospective cohort study found that development of PCF after salvage laryngectomy is associated with an increased risk for the development of distant metastases.

Management of Complications After Lung Resection: Prolonged Air Leak and Bronchopleural Fistula.

Prolonged air leak or alveolar-pleural fistula is common after lung resection and can usually be managed with continued pleural drainage until resolution. Further management options include blood patch administration, chemical pleurodesis, and 1-way endobronchial valve placement. Bronchopleural fistula is rare but is associated with high mortality, often caused by development of concomitant empyema. Bronchopleural fistula should be confirmed with bronchoscopy, which may allow bronchoscopic intervention; however, transthoracic stump revision or window thoracostomy may be required.

Management of thoracogastric airway fistula after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer: A systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: Thoracogastric airway fistula (TGAF) is a serious complication of esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. We conducted a systematic review of the appropriate therapeutic options for acquired TGAF. METHODS: We performed a literature search to identify relevant studies from PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science using the search terms "gastric airway fistula", "gastrotracheal fistula", "gastrobronchial fistula", "tracheogastric fistula", "bronchogastric fistula", "esophageal cancer", and "esophagectomy". RESULT: Twenty-four studies (89 patients) were selected for analysis. Cough was the main clinical presentation of TGAF. The main bronchus was the most common place for fistulas (53/89), and 29 fistulas occurred in the trachea. Almost 73% (65/89) of patients underwent non-surgical treatment of whom 87.7% (57/65) received initial fistula closure. Twenty-three patients underwent surgery, including 19 (82.6%) with initial closure. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 6-, and 9-month survival rates in patients who underwent surgical repair were 95.65%, 95.65%, 82.61%, 72.73%, and 38.10%, respectively, and the equivalent survival rates in patients with tracheal stent placement were 91.67%, 86.67%, 71.67%, 36.96%, and 13.33%, respectively. CONCLUSION: TGAF should be suspected in patients with persistent cough, especially in a recumbent position or associated with food intake. Individualized treatment should be emphasized based on the general condition of each patient.

Endobronchial valve treatment of persistent alveolopleural fistulae in a patient with cystic fibrosis and empyema.

Persistent air leak (PAL) is a common problem after secondary pneumothorax due to cystic fibrosis (CF). These leaks, caused by either bronchopleural or alveolopleural fistula, are associated with higher morbidity and mortality [1]. Air leaks are traditionally treated with chronic chest tube drainage, chemical pleurodesis, or autologous blood patching in non-surgical candidates [1]. However, these strategies can increase infectious risk or pleural scarring, which are associated with poorer lung transplant surgical outcomes. Endobronchial valve (EBV) placement, while FDA-approved for use in both some surgical PALs and bronchoscopic volume reduction therapy, is one alternative option, but it could theoretically increase the risk of infection, especially in CF patients. Here, we report the case of a CF patient under evaluation for lung transplant who received EBVs for PAL after bilateral secondary spontaneous pneumothoraces.

Catamenial Pneumothorax With Pulmonary Fistula Identified During Surgery.

A 41-year-old woman was admitted with a recurrent pneumothorax coincident with menstruation 2 months after a first occurrence. Video-assisted thoracic surgery was performed for definitive diagnosis and pneumothorax treatment. Bluish diaphragmatic spots and three lung bullae were noted. A lung fistula was observed in one of the bullae, and the diaphragmatic lesion and bullae were resected. The bulla with air leakage and the diaphragmatic lesion were diagnosed as endometrial tissue by pathology. This case is rare as a fistula from a bulla with endometriosis was identified intraoperatively, suggesting the check-valve mechanism might be one of the etiologies of catamenial pneumothorax.

Nasal fistula, epidermal cyst and hypernatremia in a girl presenting holoprosencephaly due to a rare ZIC2 point mutation.

Holoprosencephaly is the most common brain malformation in humans and it is a complex genetic disorder. We report on a patient with holoprosencephaly caused by a rare ZIC2 mutation presenting a bifid nose associated with a nasal fistula and an epidermal cyst, besides hypernatremia. The patient was a 1 year and 4 months old girl that developed an important neuropsychomotor delay. Currently, she uses a wheelchair to move around and only emits sounds. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a semilobar holoprosencephaly and a Dandy-Walker variant. Head magnetic resonance imaging also disclosed corpus callosum agenesis and prefrontal subarachnoid space enlargement. On physical examination at 1 year and 4 months of age, we verified growth retardation, microcephaly, bilateral epicantic fold, upslanting palpebral fissures, bifid nose, and limbs spasticity secondary to hypertonia. Later, she began to present hypernatremia; however, its precise cause was not identified. At 6 years and 10 months of age, a nasal fistula was suspected. Facial CT scan showed an epidermal cyst at cartilaginous portion of the nasal septum. High resolution GTG-Banding karyotype was normal. However, molecular analysis through direct sequencing technique showed a mutation at regulatory region of the ZIC2 gene: c.1599*954T > A, a genetic variation previously described only in a Brazilian patient. Our patient presented findings still not reported in literature among patients with holoprosencephaly, including those with ZIC2 mutations. Thus, the spectrum of abnormalities associated to ZIC2 mutations may be broader and include other defects as those observed in our patient.

[Distal duodenectomy: a new option of surgical treatment for duodenal tumors]. / Distal'naya duodenal'naya rezektsiya: novyi sposob khirurgicheskogo lecheniya pri opukholevom porazhenii dvenadtsatiperstnoi kishki.

OBJECTIVE: To assess severity, safety and functional advisability of distal pancreatectomy using original surgical technique developed in the Blokhin National Medical Research Centre of Oncology. MATERIAL AND METHODS: There were 10 patients with duodenal malignancies who have undergone distal pancreatectomy in the Blokhin National Medical Research Centre of Oncology for the period 2006-2018. Distal pancreatectomy for primary duodenal tumors was performed in 8 patients, 2 patients underwent surgery for external invasion of the duodenum. RESULTS: Postoperative complications Clavien-Dindo grade 1 and 2 occurred in 4 (40%) patients. Surgical complication grade 2 occurred in 1 (10%) patient (pancreatic fistula with effective conservative management). There were no cases of leakage of duodenal stump and duodenojejunostomy, impaired bile flow and stenosis of anastomosis with delayed stomach emptying. CONCLUSION: Distal duodenectomyis associated with low postoperative morbidity, good functionality and quality of life. This procedure is preferred for non-epithelial and neuroendocrine tumors, as well as with secondary malignant duodenal invasion.

Drainage Tubeless (DRESS) Bypass Surgery as the Best Palliative Care for Unresectable Thoracic Esophageal Cancer with and without Esophago-Respiratory Fistula.

Approximately half of the patients with esophageal cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage with inoperable disease. The technique of bypass surgery, which is one of the palliative procedures for esophageal cancer, usually requires the insertion of a drainage tube for clearing secretions from the blind remnant esophagus. Since the artificial drainage tube is sometimes problematic for the patient after discharge from the hospital, drainage tubeless (DRESS) surgery might be preferable. The authors demonstrated the utility of DRESS bypass surgery by adding esophagostomy in the right supraclavicular region in three patients with unresectable esophageal cancer with and without esophago-respiratory fistula. All patients had been able to take per-orally and discharged the hospital. Two of three patients are alive with per-oral intake at 1 year later. This DRESS bypass surgery technique, which has not hardly reported in the literature, could release the patients from the tube trouble after the discharge from the hospital and give the patients the better quality of life.

Assessment of Fissure Integrity in Patients With Intrabronchial Valves for Treatment of Prolonged Air Leak.

BACKGROUND: Intrabronchial valves (IBVs) are a treatment alternative for persistent air leak (PAL). However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding whether the absence of collateral ventilation (CV) can predict successful treatment of PAL with IBV placement. We assessed whether absence of CV measured by fissure integrity could predict successful resolution of PAL with IBV placement. METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective study was performed. Patients who underwent IBV placement for PAL were identified. Chest computed tomography analysis via VIDA Diagnostics was used to assess CV. CV was present if the treated lobe was adjacent to a fissure that was <90% complete. RESULTS: A total of 81 valves were placed in 26 patients (median, 3 per patient). A total of 16 patients without CV underwent IBV placement: 14 patients had complete resolution of PAL with a median time from IBV placement to air leak resolution of 4.5 days and 2 patients required subsequent procedures to manage the PAL. In a subset of patients without CV who underwent complete lobar occlusion with IBV (n = 8), median time to PAL resolution was 3 days, whereas in patients without CV who underwent incomplete lobar occlusion with IBV (n = 6), median time PAL resolution was 6.5 days (p = 0.045). All 10 patients with CV underwent IBV placement and complete lobar occlusion: 4 patients had complete PAL resolution with a median time from IBV placement to PAL resolution of 17.5 days and 6 patients required subsequent procedures to manage their PAL. CONCLUSIONS: PAL treatment with IBV is more successful in patients without CV, especially when complete lobar occlusion with IBV is achieved.

Tuberculosis and Other Granulomatous Diseases of the Airway.

Granulomatous diseases of the airway are challenging lesions to diagnose and effectively manage not only because they are uncommon but also because they can occur in different forms, each with unique clinical and radiological characteristics. Most such lesions can be effectively managed conservatively with repeated airway dilatation, use of intraluminal stents, and specific antimicrobial treatment. The only exception is those lesions presenting with localized airway obstruction wherein surgical resection may be indicated and beneficial.

[The differential approach to the surgical treatment of pathologies of the frontal sinus]. / Differentsirovannyi podkhod k khirurgicheskomu lecheniiu patologii lobnoi pazukhi.

The surgical intervention for the management of frontal sinusitis is required in a large fraction of patients presenting with this condition. The treatment of choice for the pathology in question is endoscopic endonasal frontotomy. Whenever the endoscopic technique is impossible to employ, the surgeon has to resort to an extranasal operation on the frontal sinus. The indications for the application of such strategy include the pathological conditions complicated by the intracranial and orbital processes, the presence of large benign tumours, recurrent post-surgical purulent sinusitis and traumatic frontal sinusitis. For the preservation of the functionally competent frontal sinus during extranasal frontotomy, a frontonasal fistula with all bony walls and maximally spared mucous membrane can be created. In order to remove an osteotoma from the frontal sinus, we applied the osteoplastic approach with the formation of the osteo-periosteal flap from the frontal wall of the sinus. In those cases when it was impossible to restore the frontal sinus and there was a closed bone cavity undergoing purulent inflammation we practiced obliteration of the cavity with the use of a porous carbon implant.

[The surgical treatment of pyocele of the frontal sinus]. / Khirurgicheskoe lechenie piotsele lobnoi pazukhi.

The authors describe a clinical case of pyocele of the frontal sinus in the patient presenting with polypous pansinisitis and pronouncd hypertrophy of the frontal sinuses with special reference to the specific features of diagnostics and surgical strategy for the treatment of this condition.

Spontaneous non-obstructive nephropleural fistula with an autoimmune disorder causing massive urinothorax: a rare association.

Urinothorax, an unusual and rare cause of pleural effusion, is usually secondary to urinary obstruction and abdominal trauma. We describe an uncommon case of left-sided urinothorax in a 35-year-old man with diabetes and hypothyroidism associated with an autoimmune disorder without obvious obstructive uropathy. Workup revealed pancytopenia, mild proteinuria, positive anti-nuclear and anti-dsDNA antibodies suggestive of probable systemic lupus erythematosus. Contrast-enhanced CT-chest and abdomen showed hepatosplenomegaly with bilateral renal abscesses and a fistulous connection between left superior calyx and left the pleural cavity. Patient was initially managed by intravenous antibiotics, intercostal tube drainage and ipsilateral double-J stent placement. The definitive management in the form of closure of nephropleural fistula was achieved with sclerotherapy using 0.1% povidone-iodine instillation, while oral steroids were started for the probable autoimmune disorder. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of spontaneous non-obstructive nephropleural fistula associated with an autoimmune disorder, managed by minimally invasive methods.

Manejo de comunicaciones respiratorio-digestivas inusuales de origen neoplásico / No disponible

Las fístulas respiratorio-digestivas secundarias a procesos malignos broncogénicos son complicaciones infrecuentes que generan gran morbimortalidad, ensombreciendo el pronóstico de la neoplasia, más aún cuanto más se demora su diagnóstico. A continuación, describimos 2 casos con inusuales complicaciones de este tipo, el proceso de identificación y su manejo terapéutico. A pesar de la escasa evidencia disponible, se recomienda un abordaje multidisciplinar con un enfoque esencialmente paliativo y mediante técnicas endoscópicas, sobre todo, resolver de forma segura y duradera la disfagia, origen de fatales infecciones respiratorias, que se traducirá en una aceptable calidad de vida y una mayor supervivencia para estos pacientes

Respiratory-digestive fistulas secondary to malignant bronchogenic carcinomas are uncommon complications, which have high morbidity and mortality rates and worsen the prognosis of the neoplasm, particularly if their diagnosis is delayed. In this study we describe 2 cases of this rare complication, together with their identification process and therapeutic management. In spite of the scarce evidence available, a multidisciplinary approach is recommended, mainly with palliative management and through endoscopic techniques in order to achieve a safe and lasting correction of dysphagia, which is the cause of fatal respiratory infections. The treatment will lead to an acceptable quality of life and higher survival rates for these patients

Behavioral Disturbance Causing Sudden Respiratory Distress in a 3-Year-Old After Tracheocutaneous Fistula Closure: A Case Report.

A 3-year-old boy underwent tracheostomy at age 5 months for respiratory failure. The tracheostomy tube was removed a year later but a tracheocutaneous fistula developed requiring fistulectomy and primary skin closure. After an initial uneventful course in the postanesthesia care unit, the patient became agitated, began to scream, and suddenly developed rapidly progressing subcutaneous emphysema over his chest, face, and abdomen. Orotracheal intubation was emergently performed and chest radiograph revealed pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum. The child was taken to the operating room for placement of a tracheostomy tube.