Abstract
104 cases of esophageal diseases which were admitted to our hospital during the last five years were reviewed. Of these, 13 cases were clinically found to have some influence on the airway system and 9 cases of esophagus carcinoma were recognized to be accompanied by various lesions, such as bilateral vocal cord paralysis, invasion to the carina and main bronchus, tracheo-esophageal fistula and bilateral carcinomatous pleural effusion. A case of Boerhaave syndrome with left hydropneumothorax resulting from perforation of the lower esophagus seemed to be one of the most serious esophageal diseases in terms of the severe influence on the airway system. In two cases of achalasia, the megaesophagus compressed the membranous portion of the trachea, causing tracheal stenosis demonstrated by the maximal inspiratory-expiratory flow-volume curve. A case of tracheo-esophageal fistula supposedly caused by mediastinal lymph adenitis suffered from recurrent pneumonia, and esophagography demonstrated the pooling of ingested barium in the right lower lobe. When the symptoms and signs of central airway are recognized, esophageal disease should be suspected as a possible cause of these disorders.
