Unsuspected Esophageal Perforation
- Stephen E. Vernon, MD;
- Grant P. Carmichael Jr, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
ESOPHAGEAL perforation has been seen more frequently in recent years because of the increased use of instrumentation as well as the increase in the number of surgical procedures performed on the esophagus.1 Despite aggressive therapy, including surgical drainage and antibiotics, mortality remains high. If therapy is delayed, mortality is reportedly as high as 86%.2 The following cases were recently seen at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and represent unsuspected perforations of an unusual cause with a fatal outcome.
Case 1.— An 81-year-old man was admitted to the UCLA Medical Center with a three-day history of left precordial pain associated with dyspnea. The pain was increased with deep inspiration and by lying on his left side. A "sore lump" in the throat was noted about one week before admission. Chest roentgenograms demonstrated an elevated left hemidiaphragm, with a left pleural effusion and cardiomegaly.
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Department of Pathology, the Center for the Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (Dr Vernon).
