Case report of a 72-year-old man with diaphragmatic hernia and thoracic gastropericardial fistula after esophagectomy for 18 years

BACKGROUND: Both diaphragmatic hernia and thoracic gastropericardial fistula rarely occur simultaneously in patients with radical esophagectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old man presented to our hospital with 1 day of nausea, vomiting and acute left chest pain. He had radical esophagectomy (Sweet approach) for esophageal cancer 18 years ago. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest revealed diaphragmatic hernias and air collection within the pericardial space. While an operation of diaphragmatic hernia repair was decisively performed to prevent further serious complications, unusually, a thoracic gastropericardial fistula was also found unusually. CONCLUSION: Diaphragmatic hernia and thoracic gastropericardial fistula may occasionally coexist in patients with esophagectomy. Upper GI radiograph with a water-soluble contrast agent is a better diagnostic tool than CT in visualizing the fistula.