Colopleural fistulas are a rare complication mostly attributed to trauma, iatrogenic injury, Crohn’s disease, or gastrointestinal malignancy [
1‐
4]. Fistulization can also complicate diverticular disease, affecting 4–20% of these patients [
5]. Diverticular fistulas tend to arise from the left side, connecting the large bowel with surrounding structures, such as the small bowel, the urinary bladder, the genitalia, the skin, and in rare cases, the pleural space [
6,
7]. Right-sided diverticular disease is less frequent and—as in this case—tends to affect patients of Asian ethnicity [
8]. Right-sided colopleural fistulization has not been reported in the literature, which is likely owing to the anatomical barrier formed by the liver, making such presentation very unusual. The possible cause of the fistula in this patient may be related to adhesions following his previous laparotomy for a perforated gastric ulcer, causing a segment of the right colon to become tethered to the right diaphragm and later development of a diverticulum within this segment with associated perforation leading to a fistula. Appropriate investigation involved a CT scan with rectal contrast, which was successful in outlining the fistula tract and localizing it, and colonoscopy enabled direct visualization of the diverticula. Furthermore, bronchoscopy was useful in confirming the absence of an obstructing endobronchial lesion, as well as obtaining samples that grew enteric microbes. This provided further confirmation of the diagnosis and influenced the choice of antibiotics. The definitive management of colopleural fistulas is surgical. As described in this case, the surgical intervention consists of resecting the involved segment of bowel and aiming for primary anastomosis, unless infected inflamed tissue at the anastomotic region precludes this. When feasible, the colonic anastomosis should be separated from the area of inflammation using an omental patch and finally repairing the diaphragmatic defect. The decision to place a chest drain should be considered, and in this case, it was guided by concern for pneumothorax secondary to the laparoscopic insufflation.
Although diverticulitis as a cause of colopleural fistulization is uncommon, a few similar cases have been described in the literature, reporting patients presenting with respiratory symptoms that evolve to pleural effusion and empyema. In these cases—as in our case—the growth of gut microbes from pulmonary samples raised the suspicion of potential colopleural fistulization. This was then followed by imaging modalities, with CT scans being the most frequently used, as well as a colonoscopy and sinograms [
1,
2,
7,
9‐
11]. There is agreement across these cases that surgical repair of these fistulas is the management of choice. The distinctive difference between this case and similar published reports is the unexpected location of the fistulization on the right side, highlighting the importance of keeping a low threshold of suspicion for accurate timely diagnosis.
Learning points from this case include appropriate work-up of a suspected colopleural fistula with radiological and endoscopic investigations to determine anatomy and etiology. Most cases will require surgical management, and involvement of the respiratory and cardiothoracic teams is important to optimize lung function preoperatively and plan for possible chest complications, such as a postoperative effusion or empyema, or a concurrent lung resection in more severe cases.