The treatment strategy for tracheoesophageal fistula

With the development of endoscopic techniques, the treatment of tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) has made marked progress. As surgical intervention is often not an advisable option due to advanced malignancy and poor performance status of the patients, bronchoscopic intervention provides a good choice to palliate symptoms and reconstruct the airway and esophagus. In this review, we focus on the application of interventional therapy of TEF, especially the application of airway stenting, and highlight some representative cases referred to our department for treatment.