Congenital tracheoesophageal fistula successfully diagnosed by CT esophagography

Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) or bronchoesophageal fistula may be congenital, inflammatory, neoplastic, or secondary to trauma. Congenital TEF or bronchoesophageal fistula is usually associated with esophageal atresia and is readily diagnosed in infancy. But if it is not associated with esophageal atresia, it may persist until adulthood. Some theories have been proposed to explain this delay in diagnosis. We present a case of a 70-year-old man with congenital TEF. The TEF was successfully diagnosed by multidetector-row CT esophagography, (C) 2006 The WJG Press. All rights reserved.