Exsanguination by subclavian-esophageal fistula associated with a left subclavian aneurysm.
Aortic aneurysms are a common autopsy finding, but aneurysms confined exclusively to the subclavian arteries are rare. When found, they are typically associated with trauma, surgery, or aberrant vessel distribution. Subclavian-esophageal fistula formation is also rare, with the vast majority being related to aberrant vessel distribution or esophageal foreign bodies. Dicle et al. first reported a subclavian-esophageal fistula associated with a non-aberrant subclavian artery aneurysm in 1999 (1). The following case would mark the second report of that phenomenon, and the first in the setting of a forensic autopsy.
Quinton
Reade A
RA
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9073, USA.
McClain
Joni L
JL
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D004937:Esophageal Fistula / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013348:Subclavian Artery / Q000473:pathology*