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Case Reports
. 2020 Sep 10;12(9):e10365.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.10365.

Adolescent With VACTERL Association Presents With Recurrent Pneumonia

Michael Stack  1 , Tamarah Westmoreland  2   1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Adolescent With VACTERL Association Presents With Recurrent Pneumonia

Michael Stack et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

VACTERL is a condition that includes various anatomic anomalies including vertebral, cardiac, tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), renal, and limb defects. TEF can be found in up to 80% of patients with the condition. Although TEFs are usually identified early in life, the H-type TEF can be more difficult to detect. We report the case of a 15-year-old male with a previous diagnosis of VACTERL who presented with a history of recurrent pneumonia, chest pain, and asthma and was found to have a previously undetected H-type TEF that was surgically repaired. When evaluating a patient with features of VACTERL, it is important to choose studies that can explore the presence of all associated features. Clinical history and type of imaging utilized can be essential in making a timely diagnosis, especially for H-type TEF.

Keywords: h type tef; tef; tracheoesophageal fistula; vacterl.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. CT scan of chest without contrast, sagittal view, demonstrating TEF (blue arrow).
TEF: tracheoesophageal fistula.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Esophagram, (A) nasogastric tube retracted from just distal to anastomosis (blue arrow), and then (B) proximal to anastomosis (red arrow) with contrast injected at anastomotic site.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Five types of TEF.
Type (A) isolated EA, type (B) EA with proximal TEF, type (C) EA with distal TEF, type (D) EA with proximal and distal TEF, and type (E) isolated TEF (H-type). TEF: tracheoesophageal fistula, EA: esophageal atresia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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