Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Esophageal Bronchus (Esophageal Lung or Lobe)
- Radiologic Findings
- Initial chest CT scans revealed focal area of bronchiectasis at the medial basal segment and confluent acinar opacities. Air-containing branching structure was arising suspiciously from the esophagus.
Minimum intensity projection and endoscopy showed the communication of bronchus to the esophagus.
Barium examination (esophagogram) in lateral and anteroposterior views confirmed a communication of the right lower lobe bronchus to the right lateral wall of the esophagus. A few bronchi were ectatic due to recurrent infection.
Endocsopy
Esophagogram
Esophagogram
- Brief Review
- Esophageal lung or esophageal lobe is one of the entities in the communicating bronchopulmonary foregut malformations (CBPFM). This condition is more common in females, with a ratio 1.5 to 1 as compared to males. The right lung is more commonly involved.
Clinical manifestations are variable, ranging from asymptomatic to life-threatening respiratory failure. The most common presentation is recurrent chest infections with coughing on ingestion of fluids or food. Most of the early presenting patients have poor prognosis.
Confirmation of the diagnosis of esophageal lung is obtained by barium opacification of the esophagus, which shows directly the esophageal bronchus and its first division branches.
Since pulmonary sequestration may be associated with the condition, an angiographic study of the arterial vascularization of the lungs is necessary if conservative surgery has to be performed.
The advanced age of presentation and the absence of symptoms to the bronchial passage of food/fluids emphasize the need to have the possibility of CBPFM in the differential diagosis, even in adults.
- References
- 1. A. Verma, S. Mohan, M. Kathuria and S.S. Braijal. Esophageal bronchus: case report and review of the literature. Acta radiol 2008; 49: 138
2. D. Lallemand, J.F Quignodon, J.V. Courtel, The anomalous origin of bronchus from the esophagus: report of three cases. Pediatr Radiol 1996; 26:179-182
- Keywords
- Airway, Congenital,