2017 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 231-234
Pyriform sinus fistula （PSF） is a congenital fistula which occurs mostly on the left side, and the diagnosis is made on the basis of infection, etc. We identified a fistula using an ATOM tube®-guided curved laryngoscope blade, and performed surgical removal.
A 27-year-old female, who suffered from swelling of the left side of the neck, had undergone multiple repeated incision and drainage since childhood. She was diagnosed with PSF after a computed tomography imaging exam of the hypopharynx and esophagus with contrast material, and we surgically removed the fistula and performed partial thyroidectomy （the left lobe of the thyroid gland） under general anesthesia. A curved laryngoscope blade was placed in the epiglottis located at the base of the tongue, and a 4Fr ATOM tube® was inserted to inject gentian violet. Afterwards, an external cervical incision was made. The fistula stained with gentian violet on the back side of the upper pole of the thyroid gland was clearly identified. A fistulectomy and partial thyroidectomy were successfully performed. More than half a year has passed since the surgery, with no recurrence to date.
