title: Colobronchial fistula presenting with persistent pneumonia in a patient with Crohn's disease: a case report.
abstract: Colobronchial fistula is an uncommon complication of Crohn's Disease. It is also rarely diagnosed on first presentation. We describe a case of colobronchial fistula and recurrent pneumonia in a patient with Crohn's Disease.A 52-year-old gentleman with a history of Crohn's Disease presented with cavitating left lower lobe pneumonia that did not resolve despite a one month course of antibiotics. A computed tomography of the thorax confirmed the presence of a cavitating left lower lobe pneumonia. A subsequent abdominal computed tomography revealed a fistulous communication between the colon at the splenic flexure and the left bronchial space. The patient underwent surgery and a fibrous tract was visualized from the splenic flexure to the left lung. Medical treatment was continued with a six week course of antibiotics and the patient was doing well 12 weeks after surgery.There have been few case reports of colobronchial fistula with a clinical picture similar to this case.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Turki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alameel
authors.forename: D Alex
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Maclean
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Macdougall