AORTOTRACHEAL FISTULA - DEMONSTRATION BY COMPUTERIZED-TOMOGRAPHY

Aortotracheal fistula is a rare condition that is invariably fatal if not diagnosed and surgically treated. Patients usually present with sm all intermittent haemoptysis. In cases of aortotracheal fistula bronch oscopy may be both misleading and dangerous. The findings using comput erized tomography (CT) are usually non-diagnostic. We present a case o f aortotracheal fistula in which CT established the diagnosis by demon strating the fistula as a continuous tract between the aorta and the t rachea. CT should be considered in the initial investigation of patien ts suspected to have such a disease.