ABSTRACT
Purpose:To study the effectiveness of surgical treatment of 15 tracheoesophageal fistulas secondary to carcinoma of esophagus a fter radiotherapy. Methods:clinical records of 15 tracheoesophageal fistulas secon dary to carcinoma of esophagus after radiotherapy were analysed.several surgical techniques were analyged for different cases. Results:In all 15 cases, only two of them died,the postoperativ e death rate is 15.38%, and the total complication rate is 30.76%.1-year survi val is 50%, and the median-life span is 12 months. Conclusions:Approriate surgical treatment together with active preoperative preparation, elaborative postoperative nursing care, can improve t he quality of life, reduce postoperative complication rate, and prolong survival .