Closure of esophagotracheal fistula after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

Fistula between the trachea and esophagogastric anastomosis after esophagectomy is rare. We successfully treated a 75-year-old woman with such a lesion by single-stage repair. The patient had undergone radical esophagectomy 20 years ago, and repeatedly developed aspiration pneumonia for recent 5 years. Radiological and endoscopic examinations demonstrated the fistula between the trachea at the level of sternal notch and esophagogastric anastomosis. The fistula was separated and the defects on both sides were closed. A sternocleidomastoid muscle flap was inserted between the two structures. The postoperative course was uneventful.