Acquired Fistula between the Esophagus and the Respiratory Tract

Abstract

THE appearance at the Johns Hopkins Hospital of the following case of acquired tracheoesophageal fistula,‡ the etiology of which was difficult to ascertain, has prompted a review of the literature on this subject. An analysis of all such cases seen at this hospital during the past twenty-five years was also undertaken, and a discussion of the pathogenesis of the disease is contained in this paper.In 1898, Sirot1 collected 143 cases of tracheoesophageal fistula. Forty-eight per cent of the fistulas were caused by neoplasms, 12 per cent by inflammatory lesions and 9 per cent by foreign bodies; in 25 per . . .