title: Tuberculous involvement of the oesophagus with oesophagobroncheal fistula.
abstract: Tuberculous involvement of the oesophagus is a rare disease. Even if it is suspected, diagnosis is often difficult though dysphagia and chest pain are the most common symptoms without any other specific signs of tuberculosis. The diagnosis is based on oesophagography, oesophagoscopy, bronchoscopy, and computed tomographic scan. Suspected tuberculosis can be confirmed with histology, smear, and culture. The two most common differential diagnoses are Crohn's disease and carcinoma. The case is reported of a female patient with tuberculous involvement of the oesophagus, who developed an oesophagobroncheal fistula during steroid treatment started for suspicion of Crohn's disease. The patient was immunocompromised due to treatment with azathioprine that she was receiving for multiple sclerosis. The fistula was successfully treated by antituberculous chemotherapy alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany. thomas.griga@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Griga
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Duchna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orth
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nicolas
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schultze-Werninghaus
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: May
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001983:Bronchial Fistula / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004937:Esophageal Fistula / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020528:Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014385:Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*