Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair For The Management of Aorto-Esophageal Fistulae: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Aorto-esophageal fistula (AEF) is a rare condition consisting in a fistula between the aorta and the esophagus. The thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has become an accepted treatment for initial AEF management, but large series are not available and outcomes are questionable. This study aims at evaluating the current evidence of TEVAR in AEF.

Methods: A search on PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE was conducted up to June 2023. Data on article type, patients' demographics, cause and type of AEF, clinical presentation, time from clinical presentation to TEVAR, strategies, mortality, and follow-up were analyzed.

Results: 106 reports published between 1997 and 2023 were deemed eligible for this study (92 case reports; 14 case-series). A total of 163 patients (mean age: 58.9±16.5 years), diagnosed with AEF and treated with TEVAR (with or without staged surgical repair of the esophagus or the aorta) were included. A thoracic aortic aneurysm (34.4%) was the most common cause of AEF, followed by esophageal cancer (25.2%), foreign body in esophagus (13.5%) and post-TEVAR complication (9.8%). Primary AEF were 129 (79.1%), and secondary AEF were 34 (20.9%). TEVAR alone was performed 80 times (49.1%), while TEVAR with staged esophageal or aortic surgery 83 times (50.9%). The overall 30-day mortality was 11.7% (n=19): 18.8% in TEVAR alone and 4.8% in TEVAR with staged surgery, respectively (p=0.006). Mean follow-up time was 12.3±14.7 months. The overall 6-month mortality was 34.4% (n=56): 48.8% in TEVAR alone and 20.5% in TEVAR with staged surgery (p<0.001). Bleeding for recurrence of AEF and sepsis were the main causes of death.

Conclusions: In case of AEF, TEVAR can be urgently performed for bleeding management and hemodynamic control. TEVAR alone is a valuable yet not definitive procedure. Instead, TEVAR followed by surgical repair may provide better outcomes and should be recommended, when possible.

Clinical impact: This review summarizes the published papers on endovascular aortic repair for the treatment of aorto-esophageal fistulae. The clinicians can find several important details on how to manage the presence of an esophageal fistulae wich represents a potential life-threatening problem for the patients. The implantation of a thoracic endovascular aortic prosthesis represents a fast and reliable procedure in case of emergency but a second step surgical repair provides better outcomes and should be recommended in suitable patients.