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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2006;30:833-836
© 2006 Elsevier Science NL

Dysphagia due to tuberculosis

^a Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, United Kingdom
^b Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Government General Hospital and Madras Medical College, Chennai, India
^c Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Government Royapettah Hospital and Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai, India

Received 17 July 2006; received in revised form 19 September 2006; accepted 25 September 2006.

^_* Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 44 2642 5414. (Email: smchandra{at}yahoo.com).

Objective: Dysphagia due to tuberculosis is rare in both the developing countries with high prevalence rates and the western population following the recent upsurge linked to the AIDS and immigration. Aim: To study tuberculosis as an aetiological factor in the causation of dysphagia and to evaluate the outcome of anti-tubercular treatment and surgical results in these patients. Methods: Retrospective review of experience with 14 cases of dysphagia due to tuberculosis encountered between 1996 and 2003. Results: The duration of symptoms ranged between 3 and 18 months. All of them underwent oesophagogastroscopy, barium swallow, fiberoptic bronchoscopy and CT scan of the chest. The aetiology was subcarinal node enlargement in seven, tracheo-oesophageal fistula in four, oesophageal ulcer in two and cervical node suppuration in one. Tuberculous involvement was confirmed by pathological examination in all patients. All of them received anti-tuberculous therapy. Seven patients required surgery, transthoracic repair of tracheo-oesophageal fistula in four patients, one patient required subcarinal node excision and two needed abscess drainage. There were no mortalities and there was complete relief of dysphagia in all of them. Conclusions: Tuberculosis as a causative factor for dysphagia should be considered in regions with high incidences of tuberculosis and in immunocompromised patients. Treatment with anti-tuberculous therapy is effective. Surgery is required only for complications of tuberculosis.

Key Words: Tuberculosis • Dysphagia • Oesophagus • Tracheo-oesophageal fistula

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. F. Molnar, F. Detterbeck, and Z. Baliko Another perspective of the dysphagia due to tuberculosis Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., July 1, 2007; 32(1): 184 - 184. [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Rathinam and S. M. Chandramohan Reply to Molnar et al. Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., July 1, 2007; 32(1): 184 - 184. [Full Text] [PDF]