Fatal aorto-esophageal fistula in child: A case report

Abstract Esophageal foreign body ingestion is especially frequent in childhood and may cause fatal complications in case of late diagnosis and delayed treatment. We present a case of 2-year old girl who was admitted to emergency department with massive bleeding. However, she died due to an unrecognized foreign body resulted an aorto-esophageal fistula. At autopsy an aorto-esophageal fistula was detected by gross examination. Tissue samples were obtained from the organs and fistula region. In histopathological examination, a calcified body with multinucleated giant cell and surrounding granulation tissue was detected at the bleeding site. An ulcerated fistula tract ran from the intima to the adventitia, passing through layers of esophageal wall was also noticed. The mortality rate for foreign body ingestion is less than 1%, except in cases of perforation. Therefore the presented case is among rare examples of fatal foreign body ingestions.